Memoir of Xayah - The lost sparrow and the lonley fox
by DiscipulaAlba
Summary: A young Xayah is looking for her missing tribe, her only hint is the darkness that have covered her village. But an incident stops her research and she will cross her path with a lone vastaya. ( based on lore up to December 1st 2019 )
1. Premise

**Premise**

Runeterra's chronicles certainly are the hardest to tell. They diverge, they create contradictions and they are never reliable. Its annals are jagged, its legends are vague and some events have way too many versions. After centuries, most of the researchers have decided that there is not one true record, but only some hypothesis. If you choose one, you will delete a great number of them. And this in the name of a coherent report.

Nothing of what has been written is right, just possible. And with possibilities, the historians try to build the foundation of a fragile structure.

I have chosen to address these materials in the same way. I will go near to a hypothesis and I will develop it, so I can add a piece in the puzzle of Runeterra's complicated timeline.

My words will not be the truth, history is not full of certainties. It will be a simple elaboration, a vague attempt to recreate a fact of this world. This fact is not important, but it is just a small grain of sand lost inside the huge desert of this land's chronicles.

Even if it will not belong to the official records, even if it is not reported by the ones that recreate Runeterra's history, I still ask you to give it some attention.

I do not pretend to be magniloquent, I also do not want to contradict who knows this subject better than me. I just want to give my apocryphal contribution with a story that has gained my attention.

**NOTICE: **

I am not a native english speaker. So, if you find some mistakes, please report them to me so I can improve my written english skills. Be polite, I perfectly know that my grammar is not perfect.

Thanks for you help,

Alba


	2. Chapter 1

[1] A shapeless crowd was standing in front of her, blurred shadows growing on a poor and dusty square. She would have focused on every face, so she could show them that she was not afraid and that she was above them. She would have never lowered his head in front of a crowd of slippery humans. She would have never surrendered to their game.

But this wasn't the reality.

She had been a fool, she had been too confident and reckless. She had been sure that she cloud have eliminated those mercenaries and taken their belongings. But instead, she had felt in a trap built by herself, ending stunned and captured.

How could she hope to find her family if she was making such stupid mistakes?

She was retching and she tasted better the blood inside her mouth. When she had tried to rebel, they have beaten her and now she was looking like a rag. They did not care about the state of her body, they just need one part in perfect conditions: her purple shaded feathers, so soft and shiny, but also sharp and deadly.

She spat some blood, trying not to retch. The bitter taste left in her mouth did not help her but, after a big effort, she drove everything back inside her stomach.

She turned her head left and the bruise on her face stung. That was nothing compared to the battering on her belly and along the length of her back. All her body was in pain, she could stand only thanks to her force of will. The only thing that nobody could ever break.

A skinny little girl with long black shaggy hair was standing beside her, probably she was going to be sold as a slave. Sometimes she was bawling, shedding some thin teardrops down her dirty face.

She glanced again to the crowd, irritated by such behavior. At least she could be proud: she had fought for her freedom until the end. In fact, she would have still done that, if she had been able to reach her feathers.

Some wooden handcuff, chained to the platform, was blocking her. She could bring her wing close to her hands, but it would have taken too much time. And a split of second more was enough to gain the attention of the man behind her. He had already beaten her when she had refused to climb the stairs, she would have done it again if she didn't stay calm and silent.

His dark eyes were watching her, they were ready to catch every single movement. His hand was steady on the staff and they were trembling: he could not hide his desire to punish her.

Probably he was still mad for that bite that pinched off the bottom of his ear.

She had no regrets, that was the least treatment for those people. And she was ready to reserve them even more, along with all the people that were attending condescending to that slave market of little kids. If only she could have realized how to free herself.

« And now ladies and gentlemen, here we have a very special piece, that you could use both as labor force and as profit. »

A man fat and bald talked, with the face furrowed by tiny wrinkles. He was wearing an ochre garment, with a stiff collar and some white edges. He was too elegant for that poor square, probably a place only for the shadiest people and the riches' henchmen.

He had just sold the young boy next to her, with a body really developed for his age. On his arms, she could see some whip marks, signs that slavery wasn't new for him.

The man came near, extending his round hands to her wing. An angry rage raised up inside her and it gave her the strength to move away from him. She would have never let him touch her feathers with his dirty hands. No human was allowed to do that, they were only worthy to be stabbed by them.

But her noble ideals were stopped by the guard with the staff, that strongly punched her in the face.

The pain now was too much and it was impossible for her to say on her feet. He felt on her knees, while her mouth was again full of blood. She spat again and she tried to suppress the sickness created by that terrible taste.

The situation went worse when her head started to swirl, she was stunned by that punch. Everything became more confused, she could not realize what was happening around her. It was like a dream, she was not able to make her body react. That was not the reality, but something more distant and hollow.

A woman with a bright red dress seemed to raise her hand, probably she was making an offer.

She tried to turn to the seller, but some strong dizziness stopped her. Nausea came back and she tried to swallow the saliva mixed with blood that was coming out of her mouth. She should not throw up, she had to bite the bullet and try to find a solution.

A soft and smooth item caressed her nose and, with great surprise, she saw that her violet feathers were in front of her.

She looked up and she realized that the seller had dared to open her wing, showing it as a good to sell. He had to pay, he with all the people that had reduced her in that state. And, lucky for her, he had signed his sentence.

She had just to collect some magic energy, enough for a single feather. Only one and she could have escaped that nightmare.

She concentrated and she tried not to think about the pain of her bruises. She felt a weak force flew through her body, crisp and vigorous. It was the best she could get, but it was enough.

She reached out to her wing, letting the chain of her handcuff jingle.

« Hey, you! »

It was the voice of the guard, he should have noticed her movement.

She smiled, so far as her damaged lips allowed that. He was thinking to hold off her, unaware of the surprise she was preparing for him.

Comparing to that, the ear would have been just a pat.

She took quickly a feather, but her head started to swirl again, forcing her to lower her head. She had lost a split second, too much time for her situation.

She held her weapon in her hands, ready to not let it go. He could beat her again, but she would have never lost her key to freedom. She had just to resist and endure.

She was ready to receive another hit, biting her teeth and digging her fingernails on her hands.

But nothing touched her. She was just reached by a distant echo that became a deafening rumble of screams.

She turned to the guard and when she noticed that he was looking at the scene in front of him, she trowed her fatal shot.

The feather resonated and cut his throat, turning his neck purplish red. The man tired to safe himself closing the wound with his big hands, but there was just a faint hope.

With a grin on her face, she called her feather back, cutting with a single shot also the chains. She was ready to eliminate also the seller, but the magic energy ran out, draining out a part of the vital one. She had miscalculated, she was too weak to carry out her plan.

Her vision was even more blurred when she felt on the wooden platform, panting. In front of her, a shapeless black crowd was getting longer and than it split, accompanied by those annoying screams.

She would have also wanted to run away, but she could not control her actions anymore. She did not care about what was happening on that square, she even did not care about the seller, probably on the run.

She just wanted to sleep and close her eyes, hoping that she could end all the pain and the dizziness.

She felt her eyelids heavy e she did nothing to stop them.

It seemed that someone lifted her from the ground as if she was weightless. It was her last memory after there was only darkness.


	3. Chapter 2 Part 1

[2.1] She felt like she was floating into the darkness, lulled by restoring energy. The pain seemed to be gone, so she could relax and let herself go to that flow. She stayed in that limbo for a long time, until she realized that she already felt that sensation. It was magic, precisely beneficial and healing magic.

She tried to open her eyes, waking up form the numbness. Even if the pain went away, her body was as hard as a rock. She should have slept for a long time and she finally felt rested. She had forgotten when she had started to wander into the woods: that life did not allow the luxury of a long sleep. Danger could always be lurking, in the shape of wild creatures or prowler humans.

Neither in that situation, she felt safe, but her strength was too weak. She could just hope that those people were not worse than the last ones.

Her sight began to be clear, revealing her a little girl kneeled in front of her. Her long black hair was combed in a bun, except two long strands along her face. She was wearing a simple garment, too large for her tiny body. It was tightened to the waist with a band, while the sleeves went down along the skinny arms, so much that she could see the white slip.

Her eyes were of an intense lilac, like the magic energy that was coming out of her hands. She was biting her lips and she looked very concentrate on her spell.

She should be still immature, but she was not worried about that: she was human and she was helping her.

She tried to get up, but every single movement was too much hard to do. Her limbs were very heavy and not cooperative. It felt like they were asking her to lay down a little bit more.

The little girl notices her clumsy attempts and she made a distance from her, rescinding the spell. She looked scared, a point for her.

She opened her mouth for asking her some questions, but only a rattle went out. Her throat was completely dry and pasty. She was truly devastated, she had to thank that little mage for having cured her.

She abandoned the idea of talking to her and with an enormous effort, she sat on the mat where she was laying.

The little girl looked even more worried and, after having put a bowl of water in front of her, she got up and ran outside the room.

She left her alone, giving her the possibility of analyze that place. It was a big area, with wooden walls full of mold. It smelled like humidity, closed space and burned oil. It was full of mats and light blankets as if it was a dormitory. Probably the little mage was not alone, a stimulus to find a way out as soon as possible.

She looked up. A bright orange light was coming inside from a long window, enlightening enough the room. The sun was going down and the night would have come soon, the best moment to hide among the branches of the trees.

She could have escaped from that small hole, but she feared that her body was not ready for that effort. She felt tired and she just wanted to lay down again.

Luckily her force of will and her mind did not let her do that.

She stretched her arms and she checked the condition of her wing. It was perfect, there was no feather missing. Probably she was not felt into the hiding of some merchants or smugglers or they would have already taken advantage of that wealth.

If so, why had they saved and cured her?

She did not have the time for questions: she had to go away from those humans, so she could have been out of danger.

She heard some footsteps into the distance. They seemed to be of two young persons or females, they were too light to belong to some adult men. But it was better not knowing the answer.

She tried to get up, but a sharped pain ached her stomach. Worried, she unblocked her burgundy leather buckle. Then she raised her black garment and she noticed a bruise on her belly. It was not too big, but it was unpleasant.

She cursed the young mage for her inability when she was lacing up her strap. The footsteps were nearer than before and, because of that hematoma, she was even less able to jump.

She was able to get up, but that was the best she could reach. The little girl appeared again on the doorway, along with a new face.

It was a boy with short and black hair, dark as his eyes. He was wearing a long dark cape, consumed and covered by mud on the borders. Under she could glimpse some simple clothes and some big black boots. On his waist, he had a huge belt full of pockets and a long sword covered in a red sheath.

An armed man, no matter if he was young or old, was never a good sign. She had to be ready to defend herself and to fight back, she did not have to succumb again.

But when she tried to cast her magic energy, her attempt was vain: her body was too weak to summon it. She was forced to use only her nails and her hands, but they were too weak as a weapon against an armed boy.

« Calm down, we do not have bad intentions. » said him, raising up his hands.

She was not ready to give up, she was not so stupid to trust his race.

« We just want to help you, we are on your side. »

She wanted to laugh at him: no human would have ever been on her side. She had sworn to avenge all the evil they had brought to her people, she would have never betrayed them to side with him. He was just stupid to think such a thing.

The boy looked puzzled and confused the mage.

« Maybe she does not speak our language… I have heard that Vastayas have their own dialect. » said the little girl.

« I am not so stupid, I have learned your language. » spoke.

Her mouth was still dry, she had been stupid to not drink before.

The boy smiled, happy to hear that news.

« Good. So, could you please stop looking at us in that way? We do not want to hurt you. »

« And why should I trust you? » answered back, reaching the wing with her hand.

She was not able to throw them, but he did not know that. And if he was the one that saved her on the platform, he knew their power.

The little girl hid behind the doorjamb, but the boy tried to come near, always with his hands up. Definitely not a wise move, because she touched one of her feathers.

He luckily stopped, making her realize that he really feared her. She could say that she had a slight lead, enough for going out from that place.

« Calm down, do not make rash decisions. Did you ask yourself why we have healed you? » he said.

« To fool me. I have seen the bruise on my belly, that is enough to slow down my movement. »

The boy crossed his arms and give her a surprised look, putting up again his annoying smile.

« Do you really believe that we would have left only a bruise on your body if we wanted to keep you as a prisoner? You cut that man throat when you were totally wasted, I think we need more to stop you. »

She felt her pride rising up, they had recognized her persistence and her dangerousness. She had impressed them and she was sure that they were fearing her.

She could see her escape route in front of her eyes, she had just to enter it.

« So, if you do not want to do the same end, I suggest you let me go. »

« Well, the truth is that I can offer you something better. » answered back the boy, coming near.

She touched a feather and looked at him in a grim way, but he did not stop.

Was it possible that he had never feared her?

She was risking to be discovered and only because she had met a boy enough bold to face her.

She tried again to summon her magic energy, but she had no response. She just felt her body asking again to lay down on the mat.

« Ok, understood. Mirin, bring this to the other room or I risk taking a feather on my chest. » said the boy, taking away the sword from his waist.

« Also the belt. » she suggested.

She did not trust all those pockets, he could always have hidden a knife inside.

He puffed and obeyed, giving everything to the little mage. She grabbed the load and she went outside the room.


	4. Chapter 2 Part 2

[2.2] « Can we talk in a proper way or do you feel more comfortable threatening me? » he asked her.

She did not say a word and she let her eyes speak for herself.

He was also trying to make some irony. If he had continued along that path, no one would have stopped her to slap his face.

« As you wish, I will make myself comfortable. » he said sitting near her.

She glanced quickly at the entrance. If she had run away in that moment, he would have never reached her. She could make an effort and bring her body to a safe place, before collapsing.

But only if in that shack they were just three people.

« I want to offer you a place in my gang, we need members like you. »

She bit her lip, nervous. He had spoken about a gang and usually, gangs did not have just two elements. There was someone else and she did not know how much they were strong or how they were armed. She could not base her calculations on the leader, it was not necessary that the one in charge was also the strongest of the group.

« I know that you had some bad experiences among humans, but... »

« Do not speak about things that you actually do not know. » silenced him.

She hated humans when tried to steal her feathers, but she hated them, even more, when they tried to be emphatic. They were beautiful words but wasted. None of them had ever helped her when she was in trouble. Was there actually value if their actions were completely different?

The boy chuckled and then he stood up, looking at her with his dark eyes.

She grabbed a feather, even if she knew that it was useless. But its softness was able to calm her a bit and to give her the strength to face him.

« If you think that humans are cruel only with you Vastayas, you are completely wrong. They also love to kill each other and to hurt their fellow man. » he said.

She looked at him with more hatred: she had mistaken her for a fool. A was was just over in those lands and only an idiot would not have seen all the destruction that it had brought.

Only human stupidity was so big to make some brothers fight each other.

« So do not think that I can not understand you. » continued the boy, raising up his shirt and revealing to her a scar on his trained body.

He was more strong of what she had thought, her chances to knock him out lowered. It was better if she just listened to his words without provoking him. And after she would have been able to ask for her release.

« This is a present from a noxian soldier before he killed my family. You are not the only one that had lost someone and, if you help me, we will not let this happen to other people. » he explained.

« Why? War is over, now you humans are living in peace. » said back to him.

He smiled mischievously.

« For now. The war against Noxus has proved how much Ionia is backward and outdated. Only with the semblance of a central administration we were able to defeat the enemy, without them we are an easy prey. »

It was a strange speech and she was not interested in it. He was just wasting her time and sooner or later her body would not be able to stand up, leaving to her only one choice: resting again.

« If we are able to unify this island under one government, we will become a strong power and we could finally rival the other nations. » he continued.

« And you will be the one to do that? » asked her with irony.

« This is the purpose of my gang, even if I prefer to call it "team". We will create a movement so powerful that it will rule all Ionia and so also unify it. And I obviously will not exclude you Vastayas. You are a great resource that others have ignored for a long time. »

Or he was completely crazy or he was just a fool. It was impossible for a gang of little kid to achieve that goal, maybe only if they would have trained for years and years. It might also be a long term plan, but she still thought that he was unprepared to face the real treats of Ionia.

And she had seen them with her eyes. She would have never forgotten the darkness that had made all the village and her family disappear.

« We Vastayas are peaceful people, they will hardly follow you. » she replied.

She distanced her hand from her wing and she relaxed her muscles. She had understood that he was not going to attack her. Probably, If she listened to that speech and she declined his offer, she would have left unharmed.

« Say that to the guard that has bled to death. » he said.

He was ironic again, he was really trying to make her lose the patience.

« I kill because you had forced me. » replied surly.

« Oh, trust me, here everybody has a sad past that has made them assassins. By the way, we will continue our discussion later, when you will have rested. I can see that you barely stand on your legs. » said the boy, walking back to the entrance.

She cursed herself for having shown her weakness. She did not pay enough attention to the signals of her body and so she had condemned herself.

She collapsed, exhausted. If she had keep faking, it would have been useless, especially for an escape. Now she had understood that they would not harm her, so she could take advantage of their hospitality and regain strength. And then she would have run away.

« For now think about my offer and try to be less harsh. Even if you are adorable when you are angry, I prefer to have a normal conversation. » concluded the boy, before he went out of the room.

She deeply desired to stick a feather on his chest, but she could only gaze at him with hatred.

She would have rested and after nothing would have let her stay with that freak.


	5. Chapter 3

[3] She woke up with hunger pangs. She did not know how much she had slept, she was so tired that she was not able to estimate the time. An intense light was entering from the window and she understood that at least one night had passed.

The mats were still empty, but she realized that she was not alone. A boy with a strong body was sitting in the middle of the room as if he was waiting for her.

His dark hair was badly combed in a short ponytail and a slight beard was evident.

She smiled bitterly: the leader seemed so interested in her that he also gave her a guard. It was a miserable idea because now she had gained again her energies and her magic powers. That boy was bigger than her, so also slower. Some quick and calculated movements would have been enough to confuse him and run away. And in the middle, she could also give him the death blow.

« You finally woke up, this floor has become quite uncomfortable. » said him with a deep voice.

He stood up, revealing his true height. He was not the right person to start a fight with, one of his fists would have been enough to knock out a man with a medium body. He was really mighty, she had never seen some young humans with that figure. He should have an interesting backstory, but that did not concern her.

She was still analyzing him, considering his weak spots and her possible escape routes after an encounter with him. Maybe if she did not attack him directly, she would have been able to be free in a short time.

She stood too, realizing with relief that the pain at the belly went away. Probably the young mage had again cured her and she fixed that imperfection.

« Are you studying me? So Zakai was saying the truth about you! » said the boy.

« What do you want from me? » she asked.

A slight rumor came from her stomach. She needed some food and that was the worst moment to ask some.

« Just giving you some food. You have slept for three days, you must be hungry. »

She opened her eyes wide: she had already been there for three days. Have they really cured her for all that time?

The death of the guard on the platform had impressed the leader, but more of what she had expected.

It was a pity that she was not willing to deal with humans.

« When I took you from the platform, you were a mess. Poor Mirin had almost used all of her magical energy to heal you from those bruises. » explained the boy.

She had shattered memories of that moment. On her mind, there were impressed the blood coming out the guard's throat and the screams of the crowd. Everything else was covered in a thick fog.

Maybe was he the one that had carried her away? This option made her realized that, on that day, in the square, there were also the leader and the rest of the gang.

« You still do not trust me. »

She would have been ready to repeat some sentences used with his colleague if a strange mutation had not taken place on the boy's body. The hair of the beard became white and they started to cover every part of his face but his eyes area, where they turned black.

They went on growing even on the rest of his body, while two small and round ears popped up on his head.

She could not believe her eyes: in front of her, there was a vastaya, one capable of change his appearance.

The leader told her that he wanted to cooperate with her race, but she would have never thought that one was already in his ranks. How was he able to persuade him? What kind of offers had moved his interest, so much that he was helping those humans?

« Is it better now? » he asked her, putting a simile on that panda face.

« I... I do not understand. Why are you here? » asked, still confused.

« It is a long story, but not different from the others. But I prefer to talk about that in front of a bowl of rice, you are not the only one who is starving to death. »

She glared at him. He could be a vastaya, but he was cooperating with some humans. She was not sure to trust him, not after having known his leader.

« Or we can put it in this way: we could chill and speak as two vastayas, and after you could leave. » proposed the boy.

« It sounds like an acceptable idea. »

She did not want to fraternize with an element mixed with humans, but maybe his story would have been convincing and she could give him some faith.

And she could also ask him some questions for her personal research.


	6. Chapter 4 Part 1

[4.1] They were in a room too small to be a canteen. It could only contain two huge wooden beams, used as tables. There were no stools or pillows and everybody had to sit on the dusty floor. The window had no shutters, they were probably broken, and a very intense light was coming inside. On a corner, there was an extinguished campfire and upon it, there was a dented pot with some rice.

But, unfortunately, they were not alone in that room. Sometimes the presents looked in their direction and her response was always a sharp glance, so they would understand that they should eat without giving them some attention.

« It seems that the rumors about some Lhotlan tribes are true. It is obvious that you would be anywhere but between some humans. » said the Vastaya at her side.

« We are careful and you should be too. No human offers some help without asking something in return. » replied, taking some rice with her hands and eating it.

That food was not enough to feed her completely, but she would have not refused it: a stomach half fulled was always better than one empty. Mostly if she had to think about an escape plan.

« You are not wrong, but I had no choice. »

They were just empty words. She was cornered too, but she had never considered allying with her enemies. She had preferred to operate alone than give in to an option like that.

The teachings of her tribe had proved to be real: humans were mutable and deceiving creatures, it was impossible to trust them.

« After the noxian soldiers had attacked my village and they had brought the survivors inside the workcamps, I had no place to go. I was lucky to escape, but alone I was not strong enough to help my people. »

At least, he decided to tell her his story. She decided to not stop him and to eat the rice while he was talking. Despite his strange alliance with that gang, he seemed a reliable person that was trying to make her comfortable. And that was really hard, because of all the looks the humans were giving them.

« When I heard of an army created to fight against the invaders, I tried to enter on its lines thanks to my shapeshifter abilities. And there I met Zakai. »

« He is the leader, is not he? » asked her, to verify her assumption.

« Yes, you should have already met him. »

She nodded, remembering the visit of the last night. She was still thinking that he was just a megalomaniac and she did not understand why that Vastaya had chosen to follow him. Probably he was enchanted by his words, perfect for those who had lost everything and were looking for guidance. Maybe, during the campaign, they had also become friends, even if it was unbelievable. But a bond like that could justify his presence on the lines of that Zakai.

« I know that you do not trust him, or any other human, but you should give it a try. »

« I appreciate the offer, but I work alone. » replied, eating another bite of rice.

The boy looked at her puzzled, frowning.

« Work? So are you really an assassin?»

She was confused by that question. Probably, after the incident on the platforms, someone had spread some rumors. They should have been so surprised by her attack that they had tried to give a logical explanation and a meaning to such an ability.

And, of course, they had chosen the most trivial.

She shacked her head, denying his assumption.

« I kill only when it is necessary. My mission is different. »

The Vastaya was ready to ask for more information, but a person with a familiar pitch entered the room. Zakai with another familiar face, the boy that was with her on the platform, the one with the scars on his arms.

The leader might have offered him to join the gang and it seemed as if he had accepted. He was really calm and he nodded at the words of the other boy as if he considered him a partner.

When he turned his face on her direction, he was stopped by what she recognized as fear. He might have recognized her and, after what she had done, she understood his reaction.

Actually, she was almost satisfied.

Zakai tried to calm him and he suggested the boy taking a bowl of rice. After, he went toward them.

She felt her stomach tighten, almost precluding her to continue her meal. She did not want to talk to him, she just wanted to go away from that place and retrace her steps. She had an objective to be achieved and a gang of kids could not stop her.

« I see that you are back on your feet. Are we still in a bad mood or are we able to continue our conversation? » said the boy, sitting in front of her.

She saved another grim glance and she continued to eat. She wanted to let him talk without listening to his words and then ask him if she could leave. She wanted to escape in the easiest way and to use the rough stuff only if they opposed her.

« I take this as a yes. Hwai, have you explained to her our plan? » asked Zakai to the Vastaya.

« No, we had a different talk. »

The boy nodded before he addressed her.

« If I am not wrong, I've already explained my intentions to you. »

« Are you talking about your suicide idea to take over Ionia with a bunch of kids? » replied.

She was able to feel that was putting himself in a position _of_moral _superiority_. And that made him even more intolerable: he was so blinded by vainglory that he could not see the reality.

There was something more frightening in those lands than some soldiers, something more obscure and powerful.

Zakai gave her a mischievous simile that revealed some pleasure in the person in front of her. She cringed and she desired to be as far as possible from that place.

« You are not wrong. For now, we are just a group that does some local attacks in Zhyun, trying to find new members and to impede the affairs of some corrupt persons. »

She remembered the screams under the platform, along with the public panic. She linked that with Zakai's words: they had caused the commotion and then they had saved her.

She clenched her fists because of her nervousness. She was in debt with him, even if she did not like it. Maybe she could solve that problem without hurting anyone when she would have escaped.

She noticed that Hwai had seen her reaction, so she decided to relax her muscles, avoiding him to understand her thoughts through her actions. They did not have to fully analyze or she would have been lost.

« But, there is an option that will give us great power without years and years of training. Have you ever heard of the shadow arts? »

Her hears shook when they heard those words. She gave all her attention to Zakai, looking at him with her yellow eyes.

He was a fool, she was sure about it. He probably had no idea of what he wanted to face, or rather what he wanted to gain. It was likely that direct contact with the shadows would have consumed him, not empowered.

But she had no right to stop him to end his miserable existence on that way. Actually, if he died, he would not be able to use that dark magic to infect even more Ionia.

« I can read on your face that the answer is "yes". » said the boy, watching her with growing interest.

He was lucky that he had decided on his own to go on a suicide mission, or she would have gunned him down in that precise moment. No one was allowed to look at her in that way, especially a human.

« If you only had seen what darkness is capable of, you would not talk about that so lightly. » she replied.

« Did you run into the Order of Shadows? » asked Hwai worried.

That name got her attention. It was not completely new, maybe she had heard it from some travelers along her path. At that time she was not interested in those conversations, now she changed her mind: if there was a connection between the Order of Shadows an the darkness, she had to know it.

It could be the very first step to find her tribe.

« I do not know who they are. I had more direct encounters with darkness. I have seen how it has infected and weakened the magic of Ionia. I have risked a lot to restore a single well of wild magic, I do not want to repeat that awful experience. » explained.

She did not want to tell Zakai about her past, but that conversation had a hidden purpoise: she wanted to open the Vastaya's eyes. She felt sorry for him, it was sad that one of her race was deceived in that way by a fanatic that did not know well the subject of his plan. She hoped that he could think rationally and understand that he was making a big mistake.

« You have restored a will of wild magic, really? » asked the boy in front of her.

She felt her stomach tighten again and she decided to definitely leave her meal. That conversation had to end in a short time, or no one would have stopped her to pierce Zakai's head with a feather.

He was unbearable, his adepts had been very desperate to see a leader in him.

« This does not concern you. You should be happy that I have explained to you how I have met the darkness. »

« Indeed, I am flattered by your attention. »

She made a fist, ready to hit that annoying smile. Luckily her reason stopped her, avoiding her to closed all her escape routes.

She was not only full of himself but probably also very stupid. She had never met a person that still tried to get near their interlocutor, even if he was treated only with coldness and contempt. That usually was a sign that your partner did not want to cross your path anymore. If he did not understand it, he just had a short mind.

« Why do not you explain better the plan to her? Maybe we will convince her. » said Hwai.


	7. Chapter 4 Part 2

[4.2] The Vastaya might have seen again the rage that she was trying to suppress, so he had decided to use some diplomacy. She thanked him because calm was what she needed at that precise moment. Only if she was holding her nerve she would be able to face that conversation without killing her interlocutor.

« As I was saying, we are just some war orphans that want to make our world a better place, but on our own is very difficult: if we use the dark power of the shadows, we will become stronger. But, as you are surely thinking, it is very dangerous to gain the power of the shadow arts without training. We need guidance, someone who could teach us how to use them. » explained Zakai.

The conversation was becoming interesting. She had thought that darkness was an independent entity and that it had gained more power because of the distraction brought by humans. Knowing that someone was able to control it, she could answer some doubts. She had them since she had freed the temple of her tribe from the shadows, and now she had the situation more clear.

« Do you want to join the Order of Shadows? » asked, hoping to gain some information about them.

Her instinct was telling her that the two points were connected: if a group was involved with darkness, they will be able to manipulate it.

But Zakai denied and changed the subject.

« To join them means to bow to their leader's will and I do not want to kneel before a psycho. So, after some researches, we have found a more powerful source that will not make us enter a group. »

She would have never expected that, but she was listening to that human. She did not agree with his ideas and she would have never trusted him. But his plan could involve her mission.

Zakai opened one of the pockets on his belt and took out a piece of paper. He opened it and put it on the table, showing a map of that southern region of Ionia. There was only one big center, the other were all smaller. Probably they were in one of them.

There was only one point circled with charcoal at North-East, where there was a huge forest. It was an isolated hill where was erected a temple, far from any kind of human settlement.

« This is called the Temple of Whispers. You can visit it only if the adepts allow you, but nobody is willing to do that. Nobody knows their rituals and nobody knows exactly who are the monks. Rumors say that they have been the same for centuries », explained Zakai, pointing the building, « But the noxian soldiers had no fear and they tried to plunder it, so now we have some concrete information about it. »

He was coloring too much that description, trying to create an evocative atmosphere. And because she preferred to get directly to the point, those words were unnecessary and boring.

She wanted to tell him to cut it short, but she was not in the mood for another mischievous smile and for more gazes filled with suspicion.

« The small platoon they had sent came back decimated and empty-handed. The survivors did not dare to tell immediately what happened, but they decided to not attack the temple anymore. Then, with time, emotions cooled down and some Ionians near to the Noxians gain some information, so they were able to piece together something. The soldiers were infected by an obscure entity that had driven them crazy, so much that they had killed each others. »

When she was recreating the scene, a cold chill ran down her spine. Brothers that killed their brothers against their will, used as puppets by a stronger power.

She should have declined his offer at that precise moment, knowing that she was going to face something really dangerous.

But the consciousness that she was near to discover what happened to her tribe stopped her. She had wandered so much looking for answers, but she had no results, only vague theories and ideas too far from the truth.

« Do you think that there was someone using those powers? It could have been only a corrupted place that has infected the soldiers.» she said.

It was not a wrong hypothesis: if darkness was able to inhibit the wild magic, bending it to its will, it could do the same with the human mind. Actually, with them, it could have been was easier.

Hwai's gaze became more suspicious. He had probably noticed her renewed interest after Zakai had nominated the shadow arts and now he was trying to understand what had enlightened that spark.

In her heart, she wanted to tell him everything, so he could realize the true danger of that mission.

But his closeness to Zakai was stopping her. He trusted too much that human and he could refer him some secret information that she desired to share just with the Vastaya.

She was sorry to treat one of her race so, but she could not do otherwise.

« I can not say that you are wrong, but I prefer the other option. » continued the boy.

She paid even more attention: she knew that the most important part of the was coming, the one that could concern her own research.

« Looking inside some libraries and asking for some information, we came to know a very interesting ancient tale about a young mage initiated to the shadow arts. It is said that, because of her immense powers, she was confined and sealed. And most versions agree that she is in the southern regions of Ionia. »

« And you think that she had driven the soldiers crazy. » said, hoping that he would finally arrive at the heart of the matter.

If there was really someone able to control the darkness and familiar with its essence, she had to know them. Mostly if they were sealed and controlled, so she would risk less than a direct encounter.

She had to try to enter that temple too, she needed explanations and answers. And it seemed that destiny had made her cross her path with those kids.

« We are not certain, but we have to enter inside the temple and verify that there is actually something. Luckily, the noxian soldiers had killed some of the adepts, so it will be less guarded. But this does not mean less caution. » explained Zakai, before he looked at her with his dark eyes.

More than his smile, she hated the way he observed her. Every light of interest disgusted her. She could feel that he was thinking about her as a fascinating prey, a prize to enjoy slowly before striking the last blow.

It was a viscous behavior, perfect for the human he was.

« And having two Vastayas in our lines will help us a lot, taking count of your fine senses and your abilities. It will be difficult to enter there, but if a certain marksman Vastaya joins us, we will have more chances. So, are you with us? » asked Zakai, reaching out his hand.

She looked at it for a while, stopped by her ideals. It was not in her nature to be so close to humans and in order to preserve the honor of her people, she should not even dare to make a deal with them.

But in the name of the same people she had sworn to do everything in her power to save them. She was facing just a simple compromise that would have brought her to her real aim.

She bit her lips, still torn. Those conditions would not only let her do a trip inside the temple, but they would make her living between humans for a long time, away from her beloved woods. And she had also to live closely with Zakai and, even if she had tried to avoid him, he would have tried to approach her. She was able to see that inside that eager look, the one that was asking her to shake that hand.

He was a human, one of the worst that she had ever met, but he could bring her near the answers she was looking for, near the things she had lost.

She closed her eyes and shook that hand, ashamed of her action.

« Perfect, I am happy that you are one of us. And go on being so open, it is delightful to talk with you. »

She opened her eyes too late and she was not able to anticipate a pat on her cheek, given by Zakai before he went away.

She stood up, furious and ready to make him pay for having touched her. But Hwai put a hand on her shoulder, in order to calm her.

« Do not care about him, he behaves like that with every girl. »

« I am not like the others. I have decided to help him, but if he goes on with this mood, nothing will stop me from breaking my promise. »

The Vastaya nodded, but she was able to see something strange in his gaze. He was suspicious, probably her impetus had not convinced him, as her interest for the shadow arts.

She knew that she would have never solved his doubts, she could not give him important information about her. She just hoped to come a bit closer to him: he was the only member of the gang that she was willing to talk to.


	8. Chapter 5

[5] She was sitting on a big branch and she was enjoying the shadow of the tree. She leaned on the knobby trunk, trying to relax her body and her senses. She had gone through tough days for her pride following that gang of kids and their joyrides.

Despite her first impressions, she had to admit that they were coordinated and not completely rough. Thanks to Zakai's training to the recruits and Mirin's magic, assisted by the other two magicians, they gained some fight abilities. But what had impressed her the most was the consent that their leader was able to obtain in every place. She had not suffered the war against Noxus, she had no idea of what they had experienced. Probably deep hate had blind them and they were ready to accept the words of that fool, only because they see in them the hope to gain back what they had lost.

And the most detestable thing was follow Zakai's orders. She could not bear him, she was even ready to kill him during the chaos caused by their raids. Circled by his fellows, he believed to be a deity descended among humans and so he behaved. Those weak paws might respond to his needs, but she was not one of them. She obeyed, constantly repeating to herself that she was acting in that way to reach her final purpose. But he could forget about her adulation.

She tended to stay out of sight, away from those humans, and to play her part. So she gained the distance from the rest of the group, but not from that impertinent that led them. She could see in his sight the desire that she also might bow to his will, but she was not ready to grant that favour.

She would have rather choked on her own blood.

She noticed a movement down the tree and she saw Hwai in his human form. He rarely changed himself, only when he was with her. He surely feared that his Vastayan aspect could annoy the others and so he hid, like a coward.

Despite that, he was the only one she spoke to, even if she had never given him too much information about herself. He was too near to Zakai, she did not want to take stupid risks.

« We were looking for you. We have to finish the preparations for the forest trip. » he said from below.

« I am ready. The forest is my home, I know how to move. » she answered, not willing to go down.

She saw Hwai nodding, he was aware of those words. On her contrary, he had lived less with his people, but that little bit might be enough and he might know the relationship between Vastayas and Nature. She was a generous mother and she was capable to give strength and protection to her children. They respected her for that and she rewarded them during their lives.

« So do you know well also this area? » he asked her.

She looked at him with scepticism. He might just ask for some information, but he could also want to know more about her past. Her speech about her relationship with darkness had deeply troubled him. And now he was suspicious of her. He had often spoken to her about their mission, hoping that she would have given him some details by mistake.

He had never obtained something: she had learnt to hide the important information.

« No, I have never been South, but I can adapt to the new environments. » she answered.

She had decided to tell him the truth, without adding something relevant.

« I think you should pay attention, there is a weird legend. »

He gained her attention. In those times, she had often sharpened her hearing, hoping to learn more about the shadow arts. She had not obtained any new information about The Temple of Whispers, Zakai's summary had been very accurate.

She had scraped together something about the Order of Shadows, the sect that tried to control darkness. It seemed pretty feared but, more than its adepts, it was their leader that made people afraid. He was an outcast pupil of one of the several Orders in Ionia. He was obsessed by power and he had decided to found his own to conquer the entire Region.

One of the many madmen that had a big name only because he had obtained his strength from another source. One that loved shortcuts if he had to reach his purposes, without caring about his surroundings. Probably, if Zakai had been older, those two would have clashed.

Also, she had hoped to find out other contaminated areas or other handlers of darkness, but nobody seemed to know anything about that. For this reason, she heard every single story or voice of the people: maybe she would have gained something more from them.

« Which one? » she asked Hwai.

He waved, requesting her to come near as if he feared that the trees could hear him.

She decided to go along with him and she let herself fall near him with a perfect landing.

« There is a monster inside this forest. Nobody has ever seen it, but people say that it can absorb vital energy. There have been several persons that went lost and after they have found them dead and without any bruise as if something had directly ripped their soul. »

She tried to remember some similar events o powers like those, but nothing came to her mind. For what she knew, Vastayas' magic was not capable of such attacks, it had to be something human. Or it could be a monster, some creatures fed on the environment around them.

« Is it possible that is an effect of the darkness of the temple? Those soldiers could have damaged it. » she said, hoping to gain some information for her interest.

« I do not think so. I have already heard this story from other Ionian soldiers that came from other regions. Zakai thinks that is only a voice created to scare little children, but I have another opinion. » he explained.

It was another dead end, it was only a legend that could not be related to the facts.

« It could be a creature that lives inside Ionia's forests, even if my tribe have never heard about it. Maybe it does not nest in our places. But if he does not believe in it, why have we went around the coast to reach this point? » she asked.

« He could not believe in it, but the others do. He could not go against the will of his fellows. »

She did not discuss Hwai's words, even if she believed that Zakai's attitude was false. A person like him, if he was not afraid, he would have pushed his supporters to follow his orders. He could manipulate them as he wanted, they would have obeyed in every situation.

« So it is better to keep an eye out. The rumour could be as true as false and I do not want to lose my life. »


	9. Chapter 6

[6] They left at the sunset with a select squad. Ten of the member would have gone through the forest to reach the temple, then only the most stealthy five would have entered inside. She was lucky and she was inside this small group, so she could access the building without any problem.

When the group would have split, she would have acted on her own. And after she would have found the witch or not, she would have run away, leaving behind Zakai and his gang.

Freedom was close, she could already taste its sweet flavor. But she should not get distracted by that strong desire. She did not know if the monks were prepared for an assault or how the would have attacked in that case. She had to improvise all her actions, the concentration would have been essential.

She jumped on the branch in front of her and she stopped only after two series. The walking group was slower than her and, while she was waiting, she listened to the sounds around her. She heard only the team coming near and the rustle of the trees, nothing else. There were no running animals, no singing birds. Her instinct was suggesting that it was not a good sign, there was something unnatural in that part of the forest.

Since they have started to climb, her senses were on the alert, as if an imminent danger was going to set down on them. Hwai had her same sensations and he had told them to Zakai, but he had accepted them as if they were normal: he believed that they were caused by the closeness of the temple. She would have agreed if she did not count also the possible presence of the "soul-eating monster".

She hoped that for once he was right and that they would have never met that creature.

She noticed that the group had reached her. She signaled that everything was in order and continued on her path, distancing them. She hated to do her part for the team, but it was essential for her plan. But if she spent less time with them, it was bearable.

She reached another tree and she stopped, caught by deep anguish. The bad sensations were becoming worse, a terrible omen. She listened again but she could hear no sound. It seemed that the forest was in mourning.

She was sure that it was not the monster or she would have heard other movements. It was something worse, something as dark as dangerous.

It was like deja vu, it was not the first time that she sensed a power like that. It was never so powerful, or she would have remembered it. It was weaker as if it was just a small part of the whole source.

« I see that someone else is disturbed. It will not take long. »

Zakai's voice was like a distant echo, while she was searching inside her memories.

After she had found the right one, she went on her march between the trees, not caring about the group behind her. She was sure, that was the same dark power that had infected the temple of her village. She could recognize its destructive force. After so much wandering, she might be near to her objective, she would have discovered what happened to her tribe.

The adrenaline invaded her body and she could move faster, ready to avenge what she had lost.

She reached the last tree and she stopped, pierced by a pain that did not belong to her. The enthusiasm waned immediately, leaving place for horror. The top of the hill was empty, there were only a few dry trees. The ground was consumed, devoid of any energy or magic trail. That land was suffering and she could feel its hushed moaning along with all the pain that it was enduring.

A plague had attacked it, a plague that was wearing down it from the inside.

A shiver shacked her body and she curled up, hoping to calm herself. There was no doubt, the witch was inside, only a creature like that could have done such an act. Even humans were not able to damage so much the nature for self-interest.

She strove to look again at that landscape, only to find her objective: the temple build in the middle, perched on the top. A series of long dry boards led to the high entrance arc, of an unusual white shade. On both sides, there were two long pavilions, while the main building, recognizable for the curved roof and the elaborate panaches, was at the end of a small courtyard lacking vegetation. No monks were guarding and it was suspicious: if the rumors about that temple were real, it should have been well guarded.

And if they did not show themselves already, they should have more sophisticated techniques for protecting what was inside.

A little rock hit her wing and she flinched before she lowered angrily her gaze. Zakai was smiling at her and she knew who she would have thrown one of her feathers against.

« I suggest you come down if you do not want to expose us. »

She stopped to accumulate magic energy on her body and she admitted unwillingly that he was right: on that branch, she was too visible.

She jumped to the ground, trying to not make too much noise, and she looked around. The group was disturbed as her and their attention was on Zakai. They were waiting to hear something from him.

Only one of them was watching the perimeter, hidden behind a big tree. It was a boy that usually wore a hoodie to cover a scar left by the invaders. And he was also the only one with a shotgun. She had never seen one before and, when she had seen his destructive potential, she had shivered.

With such a device, humans could destroy faster what was left of the wild magic and Vastayas would have done little to counter them. Ionia had usually based its strength on ancient arts, that endured the body and used sidearms. But thanks to him, she had discovered that in those southern lands were some forges, where humans created those destructive machines. They were not so famous, but the boy believed that one day they would have become the war core of the island.

And she was ready to destroy them if that was going to happen.

« Is really that the temple? I was expecting something better. » said the boy, looking back at them.

She tried to avoid his eyes, so he could not notice all her disgust for that weapon with a big barrel.

« I have to admit that I am surprised too. And if inside there is the witch, I'm curious to know where she hid such a strong power. » answered Zakai.

« There is no doubt that the witch is inside or it is impossible to explain... this. » said Hwai, pointing at the devastation in front of them.

The eyes of the leader lighted up with interest and he smiled again, a smile full with malice and hunger for power.

She wanted to slap the taste out of his mouth.

« So, what are we going to do? » asked a thin boy, with two long knives on his belt.

« The plan stays the same, but we have to iron out some details. As you have seen there are no guards, even though they had experienced a noxian assault. » answered Zakai.

« Or they just drive the intruders crazy, as they have done with the Noxians. » said the other girl of the group, leaning on a tree and with the face covered by the long black hair.

« And this would be a problem. I think that is better if fewer persons as possible enter the temple. Only one of you will come with me, while the other three will stay in the courtyard, so the could eventually distract the monks. And if there will be more problems on the outside... Hwai, I count on you. »

The Vastaya nodded.

« The other four, you will leave the forest only if the situation is desperate, otherwise you have to cover us from the distance. So, who volunteer to come with me? »

« Me. » she said without hesitation.

She could not miss out the chance, not when she was near to her objective. She had to enter inside that temple, even if she had to cooperate with Zakai. And with all his vicious glances.

She noticed some puzzling glares, in particular, the ones coming from Hwai. Probably he still suspected of her and that cooperative impetus sounded wrong in his mind.

« I can have your back as a marksman and I am also stealthy. » explained, trying to justify herself.

Nobody objected to her, in fact, the group seemed relieved. They had their sacrificial lamb, the one that would have been closer to the witch.

« I should not have asked for better. I think that we could be a beautiful couple. » said Zakai, reaching out to her hair.

She stopped his hand immediately, closing her nails on his wrist.

« This does not mean that I will give you so much confidence. » she hissed.

She let him go before she saw again that challenging sparkle in his eyes. She went behind a tree, close to the boy with a shotgun. She noticed that he was chuckling because she had refused Zakai, but she decided to ignore him. She had to think about her future actions, counting also the presence of the gang's leader inside the temple.

The building was not huge and probably she would have some difficulties at losing him. Maybe she could take advantage of the situation and eliminate him. She needed only one shot, as she had killed the guard on the platform. After she had cut his throat, he could have never called for help and she could have operated undisturbed.

But she could have done that only if she counted the absence of the monks. With them inside, she could have sneaked away thanks to the chaos and after she could have searched for the witch. And if they did not exist and she just had fun on driving mad the people, she had to go away at the first sign of trouble: it was better to maintain her sanity than completing her mission. Without it, she could have never reached her objective.


	10. Chapter 7 Part 1

[7.1] They ran until the wall and stopped by the main pillars of the arc. They put their backs against the cold stone and looked towards the forest, waiting for the green light. They saw it, so they also looked inside the courtyard. It was bare and empty, covered by dry ground.

The discomfort raised, and it wrapped around her stomach. She did a few meters, but they were enough to cut her breath. The pain coming out from that land was as more strong as she went near the temple. But now she had to concentrate and to find the shortest way to reach the central hall.

There were two boys with her, and she gave them the signal to enter. Then they reached quietly and quickly the back of the side buildings. At that moment, Zakai was with another member on the other side of the courtyard. She could take advantage of that separation and go alone inside the temple, avoiding his elimination inside the building.

She listened carefully, but she did not hear some suspicious sounds. The temple was silent, as it was abandoned. And after the damages caused by war, she did not think that it was possible. Someone had made some reparations, that was not the aspect of a declined place, left after an enemy attack.

All that quiet was unusual. There was something sinister. Every place of worship was always alive, even if there were no visitors. The priests had their routine; they were human too. They had to eat, visit the central hall, or pass some time in the courtyard talking with each other.

But there was nothing around her but cold buildings.

She hoped it was not a bad signal and she ran to the end of the pavilion. Then she peeked toward the entrance of the main structure, but she saw nothing as before.

She wanted to risk and was ready to sprint, but someone held her from a shoulder.

« What are you doing? » asked her the girl with long black hair.

« I anticipate Zakai so he will have the path clean. » she lied.

She should have waited for his signal from the other part of the courtyard, that was the plan. And it was time to break it.

The girl nodded, probably she saw a good plan in her selfless initiative. After she turned, she smiled: she was able to deceive her.

She controlled another time that she was alone and then she sprinted toward the big and white gate. She slipped inside, careful to make less noise ad possible.

Once she was inside, the anguish raised dramatically, so much that she had to bend down and take a big breath. She could feel the darkness around her, it was trying to penetrate inside her body and, probably, also inside her mind. That was a place where no one should enter. She could understand how much it was dangerous.

She swallowed and she tried to gain courage. After all the things she went through, she could not back off. She was not a coward and, more than anything, she would have never abandoned her family.

She looked around, and she tried to hear the echoes of the walls, but they stayed in silence as the courtyard. One thought entered her mind: and if there were no priests? And if that place was under the direct control of the witch and they had just fallen inside a trap?

But it was strange that someone so powerful remained on the top of a remote hill.

She restrained her thoughts and tried to advance, surrounded by the dim light of the temple. Few candles enlightened the way, letting her see only the large foundation of the wooden columns and the lacquered walls.

She let her instinct guide her, she attempted to localize the witch thanks to her dark powers. The more she felt her body trapped inside that anguish, the more she went on until the wall on her right opened. She found herself inside a big room, with an altar surrounded by smoking incense sticks. She was surprised because she did not sense their smell when she had entered.

And above all, she could not still sense they.

She approached carefully and took one in her hands. She brought it near her nose and tried to sense its flavor. There was nothing, even a light scent of burning wood. They were unnatural as the place that surrounded them.

She had said to herself that she had already faced darkness, but not at that level. It seemed it had swallowed and subjugated all the temple at its will. Maybe also her eyes were deceived, and nothing of what she saw was real.

The smoke of the incense froze, caged inside some black and purple crystals.

She flinched and let the stick fall to the ground. She moved back immediately. The thing that lived there knew about her presence. She could feel her presence lurking within her, more and more.

She shivered as if the room was drafty. She thought for the first time to go away, leave everything and escape from a window. Outside she would have been safe, apart from that evil power.

The forest would have sheltered her. There she was alone and unprotected.

She reached the soft feathers of her wing, trying to get the necessary strength. She still had them, those lethal weapons that were given to her since she started to walk. They were her only strength, her last bond with her tribe.

She took courage and looked up at the altar. One red eye received her. It had appeared on the golden board in the middle.

She screamed and felt on the ground. Meanwhile, that eyeball was looking at her even more intensively, imbued of madness that she had never faced.

She moved back, using her hands, but she could not look away from that bloody iris. She was hypnotized and attracted. She was not able to rule her will.

She stopped her escape and just stood there, while long breaths let the air enter inside her lungs. It was useless to say that she was terrified, unable to move.

A sound came to her ears as if some rocks were falling. Then a tremor came, and the ground started to go down, while the noise became even more screeching.

She curled up and covered her ears, hoping that the torture would have ended soon. She got herself inside a beautiful mess and only because she had taken action too impulsively. She was drawn by Zakai's words, as the other members of the gang. It was meaningless that she has turned them in her favor. It was meaningless that she did not want to follow his objectives. She was tricked and now and she was risking her life.

Her father would not have been proud of her. He would have understood her effort for saving him, but he would have never tolerated that she had wasted her existence in that way. She had striven so she could have forged a happy life, not for trying an assisted suicide.

She apologized to him for her ingenuity and her foolishness. He did not deserve a child like her.


	11. Chapter 7 Part 2

[7.2] The noise decreased, and the temperature cooled down.

She moved her hands and brought them on her naked arms. Only at that moment, she realized that she was on a floating platform. More precisely, on a platform that was going down inside an azure cave, craved under the temple.

Some clouds of condensed vapor came out from her mouth, as more as she was far from the entrance.

She was even nearer. She could feel her sight on her skin. She could feel that red eye looking at her full of madness.

She finally reached the ground and could have her answer. Some huge chains were coming down from the opposite wall, full of talismans. In the middle of that iron web, there was a figure, leaned by its weight. She was so thin that she could collapse at every moment.

Long white hair branched out messed from her head, covering her face.

She raised her head and terrified she saw the hole on the top of the cave. It was too high, and she would have never reached it with a jump. Moreover, the wall was too smooth, and she could not climb it.

She turned against the witch and met that bloody eye again. She was looking at her with a big smile on her face, as a hunter that observed with greed his new pray.

She had no choice. She should try to defend herself at least. She reached her feathers, fulling more and more her body with magic energy.

« There is no need for that, Vastaya. My will is to talk to you. » said her witch, echoing so her light voice inside the cave.

She did not trust her and was ready to rip one of her weapons.

« Should I think that you did not desire to know what happened to your tribe? »

She stopped when those words reached her ears. She knew why she was there. She could not hide anything. Probably she was also able to feel her fears, leaving her undercover.

In the end, she was powerless, but she could still face her with her head held high.

She came down trembling from the platform and stood up, trying to make some steps. A noise behind her gain her attention, and she saw the big rock coming back to the top. She felt her heart stopped when she realized that she had no escape routes.

She felt in a trap like an idiot. She just had to hope on the witch's mercy.

She turned and tried to walk with confidence until she reaches the dark presence. Her body was shaking, and the oppression of the darkness was pressing all her energies. She even risked falling on her knees.

When she looked at the face of the witch, she became breathless. She was young, too young for a creature that had lived for centuries. Her body was one of a little girl. She looked like she was just raised from childhood. She was still immature, but with some more adult traits. A vast corruption covered half of her face and her neck, dissipating on her shoulder. It was of a strange violet and was moving on her skin, black as coal in that part of her body.

She did not understand if she had a garment, because talismans covered her. Only her arms were free, tied up at the chain on her back.

And then there was that red eye. It stood out on the corruption, contrary to the other one, brown as a hazelnut.

« Did... did you do that? » asked, finding the courage to speak.

The witch laughed, lowering her head. It was almost crystalline, light as her voice. It was the opposite of her wild appearance.

« How much, how much I would be the one to bring destruction on these lands, but as you see, my power is confined to this temple. It was not me that kidnapped your tribe. » answered the witch.

« Kid... kidnapped? » asked with a veil of hope.

Maybe she was tricking her, maybe she wanted to use her, but she could only be relieved form those words. She would have never forgotten that day, the day when her whole tribe disappeared in front of her eyes. She had believed the darkness caused it because it had corrupted their sacred temple. But once she had eliminated it, everything went back to normal but her tribe.

She had thought that evil forces had swallowed it, leaving it in the oblivion. She had sworn on its name that she would have found the truth, whatever it was. And at that moment it was revealed by the mouth of a probable enemy.

« Nothing disappears, my dear, especially when we talk about darkness. Darkness constantly feeds on its preys, and there is no meaning in vaporizing them. From where would it gain its energy then? »

She did not want to trust her, but she had no choice. She could take her meekness as collateral, but it was a weak consolation.

But nothing would have changed the fact that she had her back to the wall. So she had to listen to her.

« So do you know who did that? » asked.

The witch raised her face and opened wide her eyes. She sadistically smiled, as she did before. It looked like she was waiting for that question the whole time, and it was not a good sign.

« You already know the answer. But you need guidance... »

For an instant, she felt to fall deep down inside that bloody iris. She was going to a faraway world, more confused. Maybe it was an illusion or a dream where the witch wanted to trap her.

She reached to see only misty images before someone pushed her away and made her fall on the ground.

« Time is out, sweetheart, now is my turn. »

Zakai had reached her and surprised her. He could not have found the passage alone. Someone had guided it.

And if he had been guided...

« I think that you know why I am here. » said the boy, looking fearless at the witch.

« You are just one of the many fools. You want to shoulder this burden, this curse that day by day will consume your body and your soul. Why? I ask myself. What is that leads you to the darkness? »

« Its power, its strength. My team and I are too weak, but if you give us some of your powers, we will be capable of great things. Maybe one day we will also free you, as a sign of gratitude. »

The witch laughed, and her voice echoed between the walls. It could have been a pleasant sound, capable of restoring the souls. But in that cave, it sounded like a deep roar that could freeze the bones.

Her instinct was as strident claws. Something sinister was going to happen; the boy was summoned for a more dark reason.

« Do you want to carry this weight? I may satisfy you, but after you do not have to make any complaints. » said the witch.

Zakai's body tensed up, and he had to kneel, but he did not look away from her red eye. He was sweating, taking more and more short breaths until the first signs of the corruption appeared. They were thin black veins that started to grow on his skin. He seemed suffering, but he was not ready to give up. He stood there, immovable, helped by his strong will.

But she could not accept his decision. She did not trust the witch and, even more, she did not trust Zakai with such a power on his hands.

She followed her instinct and jumped on him, taking him away from the bloody sight of that dark creature. She was able to remove her paralysis, but she was not able to connect all the pieces. A hand grabbed her neck and pushed her on the ground, cutting her breath. Zakai was over her, and she could see that his black veins were vibrant, thanks to the new energy donated to him.

She tried to free herself and to breathe, but the vise became stronger, strangling her more and more.

She grabbed Zakai's arm and pressed her nails on his skin until he bled.

It was vain; he did not feel pain anymore.

Her sight clouded as the air stopped to reach her lungs.

That dark power made him stronger, and it would not have been easy to free herself.

She had to use her magic and had to attack him with her most powerful weapons.

But she started to lose consciousness. She had no time to try a targeted attack. She just needed one stroke; she had to hit Zakai someway.

She tried an extreme strategy and accumulated all the magical energy she was capable of. When it reached her feathers, she moved her wing quickly, trowing them.

The air returned copious to her lungs, while Zakai screamed for the pain. It was an inhuman scream, more similar to the cry of a beast.

She crawled away, and her sight became cleaner. The cave was again substantial and the ground stable. She tried to stand up, while a sinister echo accompanied her. It was the witch's laugh. She was enjoying that scene.

She turned, feeling danger on her back, and she saw Zakai on his feet unfolding his sword. Her feathers were still on his chest. A black fluid stained them, and it was coming out from his body.

He became a monster to reach his purposes, a monster that she had to face if she wanted to save her life.

« You should not interfere! » screamed the boy with a voice so loud that could probably move the rocks.

He started to move forward, dragging the sword as a dead body. His steps came along with the screech of the sword on the ground, a dark echo of death.

She grabbed another feather and charged it, knowing exactly where to aim. She threw it, and it resonated quickly on the air, but Zakai was quicker. With a single stroke, he split it, dissipating his rosy magic wake.


	12. Chapter 7 Part 3

[7.3] He smiled sadistically and charged a sword against her. She waited for him and shifted aside. The blade fell only some centimeters away from her arm. The darkness had also made him quicker, not only stronger. She had observed him during his training so that she could find her weak points. And she was sure that, even if she was quite able in the sword combat, he could not exceed her agility.

She picked two feathers and threw them when she shifted again. One was split, but the other reached its objective, stabbing Zakai's side. Her enemy stopped as if he was bothered by that attack. He removed it and squeezed it in his hand, breaking it with a dry sound.

She shivered, looking at that behavior with the laugh of the witch in the background.

That crystalline echo made her remember that she gave Zakai his powers. She was amused by their fight as if she was happy of her work.

An idea passed on her mid, probably a suicidal one, but she had to try. She concentrated her magic energy on the feathers still on the boy's body and was able to recall them with difficulty. His enemy screamed again, while a black gush started to come out on his chest.

She had blocked him for a while and, with her weapons again on her hand, she threw them against the witch, the only responsible for those powers. They never reached their objective; they became smoke before they hit her, burned because of her potential.

A knot tightened her throat. She realized that she was powerless. She could only hope to stop Zakai, but she feared that she had to use most of her energy. Only a significant amount of feathers would have damaged him. A single piece was just useless.

She turned just in time against the boy and avoided his sword. A counter-attack came immediately, and he was able to scratch her cheek before she jumped back. She felt her blood coming down on her face, so hot inside that cold cave.

She cleaned the wound with her hand. She was ready to shift Zakai again and to throw him other feathers. The boy raised his sword furious and was going to lower it, but a golden and glow arrow hit him on a shoulder.

His scream was worse than the others. He seemed to suffer endless pain, while the skin around the dart was almost evaporating, free form the black signs of corruption.

She turned and saw that the platform was coming down. On it, there was a woman, with her long black hair tied in a ponytail. Some of her strands were white as her eyes. Her necked arms were full of golden tattoos that were shining as if they were magic.

Zakai recovered and was ready to attack again, but the woman was quicker. After she nocked her wooden bow, she threw the arrow and hit the boy's leg.

His screams forced her to cover her ears while she fell back from him. She could have felt pity for him; anyone would have done it because of his situation. But in her heart, there was only satisfaction. She was happy to see him in that condition; there was no better punishment for him.

Too much arrogance needed a payback.

She had also to find a way out and feared that under the grim eyes of the archer, there was no mercy. After all, she also had lured inside the witch's hideout, at her eyes, she could be a problem as Zakai.

The woman was going to throw another arrow, but the platform fell violently on the ground, and she lost her balance.

_Go, it's your chance. _

She recognized that voice, she had heard it some minutes ago. She turned and saw the witch looking at her, with her usual grin.

She wanted to help her, that was obvious, but why?

A creature like that was capable of using the others, of making them her puppets, not to let them escape. She did not trust her, she would have never trusted her, but at that moment, it was her only way out.

She hoped not to make another mistake and climbed on the platform, while the archer at her feet was trying to stand up. The woman did not have the time to reach an arrow that the huge rock went up quickly.

_We will see again, Vastaya, our conversation is not over, jet._

Those were the last words of the witch on her mind before she reached the floor on the temple. The darkness covered the place again, making her realized that the cave was enlightened, even if there were no candles. She had no time for such a question, in front of her, there were two men, armed with gold and glowing guandao.

They had only a long braid, but the rest of the head was bald. Their eyes were white as the ones of the archer, and they also had the same tattoos.

They had to be the monks of the temple and had stood in the shadow since that moment. In the dim light of the building, they looked like ghostly figures not belonging to the living realm. And they were also similar as they were two drops of water. They could be twins, but when she turned, she saw another woman with a bow. And she could not notice the resemblance with the other one in the cave.

There was something wrong in that place, and it was not just the presence of the witch.

The archer nocked her bow, and she sprinted away, running right to the two men. She heard the shot resonate behind her, the only sound audible. The priests did not make any noise when they started to chase her. Not a single word came out from their mouths.

Their steps were light on the wooden floor, so much that hers were like massive rocks.

She heard another arrow and avoided it, letting it sticking on the floor.

She ran along the hallway, but one of the two men or a third one appeared in front of her, blocking her way out. She stopped scratching her nails on the pavement and turned. She heard some steps coming from that direction too. She was trapped inside those walls.

There was only one escape route next to her, and she hoped that the courtyard was not full of monks. She threw herself against the window, breaking the thin axis. The wooden splinters scratched her body, a forgettable pain when she found herself falling down the hill.

She was unlucky, the back of the temple was on a short cliff, impossible to notice from the other side.

The wind slapped her skin while she was trying to find some handholds. As more the trees came near as more her heart raised its beats, becoming a pounding tachycardia. Fate had been against her. It had put her in a situation without any chance to escape. Her fall would have been wasteful and noting would have stopped it.

Maybe she could slow it down.

She had a wing, useless to fly, but perfect for making a difference between a direct hug with the ground and a more graceful fall. She opened it, winning against the strength of the wind. It blew less, and her speed decreased.

She tried to flap it, but she swerved on the right. How much life was foolish and full of ironic, Lothlans were famous for her resemblance with birds, but they were not able to sail the winds. And she could die because of this bitter fate.

The tress arrived, and their thin branches broke under her weight, stabbing part of their wood on her body. The world started to swirl in a blue and green spiral, while her skin was still scratched.

She noticed the bigger branches only when she hit them with her womb, without breaking them. The pain was atrocious, also adding the scratches. She did not even have the strength to stop her body and slipped on another one, landing with her waist.

She wheezed while she fell again, powerless. There were no more branches to stop her, just thin twig that tickled her skin.

The impact with the ground was brutal, along with the sound of the bones of her right arm. It broke with a dry and creepy noise. She had no more breathe and she was not able to express her pain. Her only outlet was her tears, so big that they clouded her sight. Little by little, the eyelids became too heavy and her body lost his energy, leaving her defenseless inside that forest.


	13. Chapter 8 & 9

[8] She was running inside an unknown forest, followed by ethereal enemies. She had never seen that place in her whole life. It could not be real. Dry trees could not have purple leaves, and the earth could not be black as coal.

She wanted to stop, take a breath, but she knew she had no other choice but ran away. The shadows around her became thicker. They wrapped themselves around the trees like snakes. Suddenly, one jumped close to her. It looked like a dog with vibrant red eyes.

She turned left and avoided it, but others came with their deep barks ready to follow her. She could attack them, she was also wanted that, but her body just let her move her legs inside that labyrinthine forest.

She felt her chasers more and nearer; their heavy steps ripped pieces of soil. Anguish raised meter by meter, and she did not see any way out from that nightmare. She often turned her head, and every time their eyes were more intense and their fangs shinier.

She swallowed and tried to distance them, but she stumbled on an exposed root, falling in a pool of water dirty as mud. When the shadows reached her, she backed off, but her back met a huge rock. She was trapped, and the predators were already looking forward to their pray from the border.

She had to act. She could still attack. In the beginning, she could use one feather and then all the others.

She reached shacking her wing with her right arm, but a shooting pain stopped her. She wanted to scream, but she bit her tongue. She looked to her limb, worried. A big bloodstain was growing bigger and bigger, and it did not stop.

Terrified, she tried to clean it with the water, turning it vermilion red. Fear took over and made her fall into the oblivion.

[9] She flinched, waking up from that nightmare. She did not have the time to remember her bad dream; a flare-up hooked her onto reality. She had few fragments about the past day, but she could not forget the sound of her broken arm.

The fall was terrible, and she had to thank that she was still alive. She did a rash action jumping down from that window, and now it was right to pay the consequences.

She looked down to witness the damage. It was bloated, maybe too much, and it pulsed like a thousand hammers hitting her skin. She bit her lips to ease the pain, noticing something significant. Two blocks of wood splinted her arm and were tied together with worn-out fabrics.

Someone had picked her up. There was no other explanation.

She observed the surroundings and realized that she was an idiot: she had just noticed that she was not in the forest. She was in a cave, enlightened by a hole on the roof. There was also a pool of water with blue reflections.

She tried to move her neck and saw a bowl full with that fresh liquid. And she wanted to quench her dry throat. She stretched out her good arm to reach it, but a stitch blocked her, and she risked to spill it.

She took a deep breath, biting her lips, and she tried again. She was able to lift the border and to stuff her hand under the bowl. She brought it to her mouth and drunk it hungrily. Her dry throat asked for more and she would have been able to please it soon, if she had not a splinted arm.

A simple movement had triggered the pain, if she had stood up and tried to drink from the border of the pool, probably she would have screamed.

She was not in a good situation, at the mercy of her healers. But this time she looked alone and abandoned inside that cave. She needed the whole picture to think about a plan.

The broken arm, the one she used to throw her feathers, was a big problem.

She had to hope that her saviors had the same mind as Zakai's gang. So, if they were healing her, they did not have bad intentions.

She looked around and had no doubts; someone lived in that place. On some rocks, there were stubs of candles, and a simple table filled space badly. Next to it, there was a thing similar to a sideboard: it was a wooden board leaned on a protruding rock near the wall. On it, there were some bowls.

An extinguished campfire was close, and she could still notice some smoke. She had been alone a short while.

And only time would have brought her to her savior.


	14. Chapter 10, 11 & 12

[10] She had to summarize what happened; it was the only way to not think about the pain. She had waited for her savior, but after some hours no one had come. And she had to cope with the trickle on her broken bone.

She had tried to stand up, but the dizziness and a twinge of pain were the signals that she was still too weak.

She had to eat something; water was not enough to gain back energies.

She took a breath and she thought about the last events. In a few words, she had to face an idiot who had the brilliant idea to become omnipotent. She hoped that the monks had gotten rid of him, erasing him from the world.

Men like him were the worst, the ones ready to step on everything on their path. If there were less of them, Ionia would have been a better place.

It was cold comfort, but she would have never seen him and his fellows again, even if she was left with a sour taste: the witch had the answer to her question, but Zakai had interrupted her. She was very close to the truth, but she felt down the cliff. And now she had to climb it again.

She had to go back to her. There were no other options. Her instinct was telling her that the witch wanted to help, but she did not know her reasons. And that black spot worried her: she had seen how she was able to manipulate people, and she did not want to become her puppet.

She could deceive her. She knew that, but she was the only one able to lead her to her tribe.

She felt another twinge of pain on her forearm, heightened by her feelings. She still remembered that day when she had lost everything.

She was the last of a tribe vanished without any trace, and it was all her fault.

She had been naive. She had believed that an alliance with humans would have helped her people. Her father had warned her about their greed and egoism, but she had thought they were only prejudices.

She had never been so wrong.

After she had tasted their true nature, she had gone back to apologize to her father for all the bad words she had said before. But he was not there, like all the other Lhotlan. They had disappeared because dark magic had corrupted a temple and they did not come back after she had eliminated it.

At first, she had believed that they were punished for her treason, that her naivety had brought ruin. Now she was able to think clearly and knew the two events were not related, but she still felt guilty.

And until that moment she had done nothing right, she was only capable of being rescued by others.

She held back her rage tears and tried to lean down. She closed her eyes and hoped to get some rest, but the pain came back, pulsing on the improvised splints.

She deserved that broken arm; it was her punishment for her foolishness. She did not have to complain. She had to suffer until the pain would have gone away.

[11] Two days, had passed and she had seen any living being. Or at least she thought that two days had passed. She had not slept much and had calculated time looking at the piece of sky visible from the top of the cave.

And in solitude, the clouds looked pinned to the sky.

There was someone; she was not wrong. Every time she woke up, she found two bowls, one full of water and the other of wild berries. She had also heard sounds coming from the lair nearby, but when she went inside, she had found an empty couch. Colourful and folded dresses surrounded it. There was also a piece of glass as a mirror, with an ivory comb under it.

But they were only objects, not living creatures.

The pain and every single misleading noise were driving her crazy. She had never wanted to talk to someone as at that moment. She had to do something to distract herself from the wound. She did not dare to go outside. She would have been powerless in front of an enemy.

She also had not to forget about the soul-eating monster, even if it was a rumor.

Remembering that presence made her shiver. She was alone, unable to fight and inside a cave, if that thing would have found her, it was over.

She shacked her ears, trying to detect every small sound. She heard only the lapping water and some drops falling on the ground. There was no doubt; no one was inside that cave at that moment. Solitude gripped her, holding her body with a cold stranglehold of fear.

Alone and powerless, anyone could take advantage of her.

« Is someone here? » asked.

The answer was silence, as always.

« Am I really alone?! »

She raised her voice, and the question came back, echoing between the walls.

She swore, also to mitigate her pain. It was not normal. She already had a fracture and did not have to suffer that much. Furthermore, the skin of the forearm was becoming purple, as her darkest feathers.

She was worried, it was obvious, but without her savior, she could not ask information about her healing process.

She took a radical decision, sick of her growing anxiety.

She stood up carefully and held her blanket, kindly offered to her. She also picked the mat, and after she bit her lips for the pain, she moved her legs. She dragged her couch, careful to stumble on a rock until she reached the lair of her savior. She left the objects near a corner and slowly sat down on them. She took a deep breath and decided to wait. Now she was sure she would have seen them.

[12] She was unlucky, or someone had decided to punish her again. Since she had changed her spot, she had not heard any suspicious noise. The water and the food had disappeared, forcing her to drink directly from the pool, trying to stand the pain. To eat something, she risked to go out and looked for some edible roots.

Her savior vanished like her tribe. Maybe they had decided to heal her until she was able to stand on her feet, but if it was true, the objects inside the cave made no sense. Maybe they were attacked by some dark entities, and now she had to rely on her strength as always.

And even if it was not darkness fault, someone could have assault they and she had to find a solution to her problem. Someone had to check her forearm, but she had no idea where she could find Vastayan villages in that region. She had to wander inside the forest and pray that a kind soul would have found her. Furthermore, she had to rely on her stealthiness because she was not able to attack. She was not allowed to encounter anyone or anything but Vastaya. Maybe she could try to throw her feathers with her left hand, but pain could have distracted her and made her aim even worse.

It was not a good plan, it was too risky, but she had no other choice. She would have waited for her savior for two days after she would have hit the road.


	15. Chapter 13

[13] A sound, the wet smell of a fur, her senses woke up form that calling and so did she. She slowly opened her eyes and saw something in her foggy sight. She moved her arm and grabbed the stranger, felling her soft fur that caressed her skin.

« Calm down, dear, I am here to help you. »

It was a warm and motherly voice. It was not an animal ready to attack. The stranger also spoke the Zhyun dialect, a plus. Vastayas had too many dialects, and she could not understand most of them. The common language was familiar to her. She would not have a communication problem.

She left her arm and leaned down, relaxing her muscles. She opened her eyes and could visualize the figure in front of her.

She was a short Vastaya and looked like an otter. Her whiskers seemed the ones of a goat, and around her face, there were garnet growths similar to some small pectoral fins. She wore a turtleneck light green vest with two large half sleeves adorned with darker edges. On it, she had a pastel yellow sleeveless jacket.

« It was you who rescued me? » asked, hoping finally to answer to that question.

« No, I am here because who found you requested my help. Poor thing! She was desperate, and I can understand why. »

A half-dead end, she had not seen her savior, but she could tell she was female and a Vastaya. No one of her kind would have helped a human, or at least that was the practice of her tribe.

Her interlocutor looked inside her bag and took out a bottle filled with an ointment, along with two long smooth splints. She also picked some pieces of fabric, and they were well cut and sewed. One of them was longer and bigger.

« Are you able to sit? »

She nodded and obeyed, holding a spasm of pain.

« Mh, I am surprised that she was able to heal so well the minor injuries. That arm has a terrible angle. I think the bone is growing in the wrong way. »

Her suspicions were correct, that pain was not normal. Probably her savior decided just not to worsen the injury and to keep her alive. She already did so much. She could forgive her that mistake.

« I have to check if there are other fractures but, because I do not see other bruises, I do not think so. I could hurt you, but… »

« Do not worry, it will not hurt as when you break my arm again. » she said.

The Vastaya was surprised. She did not want to make her worried and nervous, relying on her medical ignorance.

« I know how it works. I had already seen it when I was with my tribe. »

It was when they liven inside that lush forest, and now it was only an empty and wild field.

The woman nodded, and she began to touch her hand and her wrist with her soft paws. She instinctively flinched, felling her touch too close to the fracture.

« Does it hurt? » she asked calmly.

She shook her head, biting her lips. The forearm was pulsing more than before. The idea to break the bone gave her nausea, and she could not even bear the thought to tighten that point.

« It is just a reflection. This point gives you all the pain. » she said, pointing the purple area on her skin.

The Vastaya checked her elbow, then her arm and her shoulder. She did not feel other pain but, the one that was coming from the fracture.

« Fine, I think we can go ahead. Relax while I prepare something to ease the pain. »

She nodded and tried to lean on the wall, taking deep breaths. She had to rely on one single thought: that infernal pain would have been over. One quick and precise gesture and after everything would have been more comfortable.

« You belong to the Lhotlan tribe, do not you? » asked the woman, crushing some grains in a small bowl.

Hearing that name made her curl her ears. She knew her people, and maybe she could tell her what happened to them.

« Y… yes. Have you met them? »

« Many years ago. You know, I am a nomad Vastaya, I have decided to bring my medical knowledge to the other tribes. Once I stopped by your people, but I think it has been a while.»

She nodded, disappointed. She got nothing; her only hope was still the witch inside the temple.

« You are the first that I see after years. Unfortunately, the war with Noxus created great problems also to the Vastaya in these lands, so I have decided to dedicate myself to them. I still do not understand why humans are capable of such horrible things. »

She concentrated on her words. They could be a good distraction from the pain.

« They are humans. I would not be so surprised. »

A funny smile appeared on the Vastayas's chubby face while she fulled the bowl with the substance inside a goatskin.

« I see that you have not changed; you are still skeptical and distrustful. But I can not say you are wrong. » said the woman, giving her the decoction.

She moved away from the wall and approached, grabbing it. She brought it to her mouth, but the Vastaya indicated her to wait. She obeyed, lowering the bowl.

« I have to give you an explanation now when you are still conscious. After I repeat it also to your friend », she stared, taking a packet from her bag, « You have to put this ointment twice a day and do not have to take a bath before it dried out. »

She nodded, trying to memorize the information.

« Then, the herbs inside this », she explained, shacking the packet, « You have to take them as infusion thrice a day after the meals until your bone will be fixed. I will leave you also some herbs for the pain, the first days the fracture could still hurt. »

She confirmed again that she had understood, but hoped not to forget everything when she would have drunk the decoction. She did not trust so much her savior: she had never seen her, and even on that occasion, she did not care to show herself. She left her in the hands of a stranger as much as she seemed a good person.

She drank the liquid and waited for it to take effect. The Vastaya gave her a piece of wood, and she took it in her hands.

« Put it in your mouth and bite it; it should help you. »

She wanted to feel the first results of the medicine, and then she would have done it. But speaking had distracted her, so she decided to follow that path.

« The woman who saved me… do you know who she is? » she asked.

« No, and I have no idea to which tribe she belongs, but I think she is a good person. She has tried to help you as much as she could and was very worried about your arm. She was lucky I was in that village. After the war just a few Vastaya want to leave their households. »

She felt a little dizziness, but she could still understand her words. She could already ask her to carry out the operation, but she was still too tense. She was sick of the pain, but she was not ready. She asked only some more time, not too much.

« But… why did she not show herself? »

Her head spun, leaving the world outside of her perception. She could not hesitate anymore. She had to do it after the Vastaya's answer.

« I think she is timid, she was even afraid to talk to us. »

She nodded and put the wood inside her mouth. She barely heard her words.

She noticed late that the woman had come near. She took her forearm and knew that only because she felt pain, uncomfortable ad a needle stabbed on her skin.

« Take a deep breath. »

It was time. The Vastaya she was going to break her bone again. The world became further, the senses more muffled, but she still felt some pain. She hoped that everything would have ended quickly.

She inhaled enough air, and the Vastaya acted immediately, breaking the ligament with a single crunch.

She felt the pain, more vivid than the continuous pulsations. She bit with strength the piece of wood, holding a scream. She tried to push away the woman, but her steady grip blocked her left hand.

She sank her teeth inside the sharp stick and tried to forget about the intense pain. It was still pulsing as her heart, it did not want her to breathe. A tear came down on her face but she almost did not realize it, she was too focused on her forearm.

« Calm down, calm down, it is over. » whispered the Vastaya, caressing her head.

She trusted her and relaxed her muscles. Everything would have been over; she repeated it as a pray. It was only a moment after the pain would have been less.

The sedative became stronger, and the stick came out from her mouth. She was not able to hold it.

She took another breath, and it gave her considerable relief. She got rid of her tension and slowly, the pain was decreasing.

The Vastaya picked up the ointment and asked if she could put it on her wound.

She nodded instinctively; she could not control her will. She acted, but she did not realize it. Maybe if she got some sleep, it would have been better.

He felt some pain, as always, but this time there was also that fresh ointment. It gave her a good feeling. She knew it was impossible, but she thought it was already working.

The woman went on with the operation and tied up the new splints. She also took the big piece of fabric. She put it under the wound and after she asked her to lower her head.

She obeyed and found herself with a bandage that held her arm. It was a huge step forward than using only her strength.

« Now try to get some rest. I will stay here a little bit so that I can control your recovery. »

She followed her words and laid down, trying to be lulled by the hug of the sleep.


	16. Chapter 14

[14] The following day was better. The forearm did not hurt too much, and the company of the healer helped her to bide time. She also thought her how to take off and put on her splints when she had to smeared the ointment.

But she had never seen her savior. She had asked some information to Tikkewha, the Vastaya, but her answers were not so clear. She also did not get to talk enough with her. Her saviour was often fleeting and she came to the cave only to give her food supplies.

She was afraid it was apparent. But her fear was too much for her situation.

But it was not a problem anymore; her plans had changed. She was able to medicate herself, and with some exercise, she could be able to throw her feathers even with her left arm. She was ready to leave and would have asked Tikkewha to bring her to the next village.

She could not abandon her intentions toward the witch, but she was too weak to face the priests. And she still did not know how they had found out about their presence. They came inside the cave quite after Zakai. It was not him that triggered the alarm.

A noise distracted her from her thoughts. She tried to listen and could hear two voices.

« You have to show yourself, you can not go on like this. I have to leave, I have other mansions to do, but she can not be left alone. »

It was the voice of her healer, but she sounded angry. She could not imagine indignation on that sweet and friendly face, but her interlocutor seemed to have made her upset.

« I do not… could you try to understand? I have never taken care of anyone, and I do not know where to begin. I am not the right person for this. »

A female voice, very smooth. It was the mysterious woman, she was sure: that dialogue framed her. She could come out from the lair and see her, but she waited. She had to understand where that argument would have led and after she would have acted appropriately.

« She is not a child, she can care of herself, but she should not go outside with a broken arm. Noxus left behind many corrupted persons and those feathers are like gold for them. You have only to keep her company. It is not difficult. »

That was the right moment.

She stood up, but her savior anticipated her as if she had foreseen her intentions.

« But she can come with you, in a village… »

« Villages have already their problems. The Noxian invasion had afflicted the wild magic of this region, and the earth does not give us food as years ago. Another mouth to feed can be a big problem. »

Tikkewha's words made her blood boil. Humans were always the cause of their problems. She did not realize the conditions of the Vastaya of that region; she had not met many of them. That news made her even more nervous. She could not tolerate their blindness in front of their mistakes.

« Maybe I have also some problems. »

Her anger raised when she heard that sentence. She lived alone, in a good location and dared to compare her situation with some villages wasted by hunger. She had to be unconnected with the world, no one would have ever think in that way.

Tikkewha did not answer and went inside the lair with small, fast steps. She tried to put a warm smile on her face when she turned into her direction.

She was wrong; that face could frown and be intimidating.

« I am sorry dear. I do not want to leave you this way but… », she said, taking her bag and goatskin, « The miss did not gave me other choices. »

She had to take action, or she would have never seen another Vastaya until her complete recovery.

« I can come with you. I have heard, the villages are hungry, but I can help them, I still have a good arm. » tried to explain.

Tikkewha took a breath and looked lovingly at her. Rage seemed vanished from her face, and it was again motherly as all the other days. She did not want to leave her, and even more, she did not want to switch her with a fleeting shadow.

She owed her life to that stranger, but if she did not show herself, she would have never thanked her.

On the other hand, the healer was always with her and helped her to cheer up. Now she was more confident and her sadness faded, so she could grow a new force of will.

« I do not want to get you in trouble. These lands are not like the ones of your tribe. Men are greedier. The war has left deep wounds. Nothing will stop them if they would ever cross your path. »

She knew she was right; the wounds left by the smugglers still hurt her pride. She would have never forgotten such behavior. It would have been imprinted forever on her memory.

« But… I can not stay with her! I even do not know how she looks like, and now she would have hidden! »

Tikkewha turned against the exit and she sighed, shaking her head.

She had guessed.

« And you try to recover on your own. Here you are in a safe place, even more than a village. I will come to visit sometime. » said the Vastaya, caressing her cheek.

She tried to stop her, but she slipped through her fingers, running towards the exit and inside the large leaves that hid the entrance.

She was alone, again, that seemed to be her sad destiny. Every time she was able to build a connection, that person faded away, leaving her on her own.

She was sick of it, even more now: she had realized that some company could relieve the monotony of the days. If she had to wait for the total recovery of her forearm alone, she would have gone crazy.

She went inside the big lair, the one with the pool. It was empty, and no sound came to her hears. She went on, and she reached the entrance, where the sunlight passed through the crack of the big green leaves. She moved them, finding only other plants, surmounted by huge trees with pointy branches.

There was no one, only some birds flying around.

« Do whatever you want, tomorrow I am leaving! » she shouted, hoping her savior would have heard her.

She went inside the cave, satisfied. She clarified her conditions and was ready to respect them. She would have left that place, after all, no one would have objected.


	17. Chapter 15 & 16

[15] She charged her magic inside her feather and threw it, hitting a lower spot, not the one she had thought. It was hard, even more with an unwieldy arm in a sling.

It hurt, less but her movements were clumsy. Climbing would have been more difficult, even crawling under the brushwood.

Tikkewha was right; she was more defenseless, maybe she had to reconsider her plane and stay inside that cave. The witch would have never left her cage if she had waited; nothing would have changed.

She sighed and recalled her feather. Maybe, for one, it would have been better to think about her next move and not act instinctively. Humans already caught her; that mistake was a reminder for her future.

A rustle gained her attention, and she threw her feather again. She screamed, desperate: she had hit the floor, not the edge of the lair as hoped. She had to train a lot before she could get a decent throwing. At least it was easier than tracking down the presence of her housemate.

It was wise for her health to stay there, but not for her mind. If she had done proper research, she would have found another shelter where she would have been alone and not with the company of a ghost.

She recalled her feather and went towards the entrance, hoping to find someone.

« Stop, please! »

She halted, recognizing the smooth voice of her savior. She was inside the cave. She had sneaked inside before she turned her head. She was quick, too much for her reflexes. She had guessed she was agile, but that exceeded her expectations.

She turned and saw a shadow in the right lair, the one next to her couch. It was dark and long, leading to an underground lake. She approached with curiosity, but while she was taking a step forward, the woman moved backwards.

« Tikkewha has seen you, it is stupid that you hide from me. » said.

« I did not want you to get hurt because of me but… I am not good with people. »

She got sick of those useless excuses and threw her feather, knowing that it would have not even get close to her. She just wanted to scare her and shut her up.

An azure bolt came out from the lair and burnt her weapon. She passed near her wing and could felt the magic power inside it. She had never seen anything so powerful and deadly. She was so shocked that she did not move; she just looked at her feather, lifted by that energy.

« Have you gone crazy?! »

She came back roughly to reality, hearing the scratchier side of that smooth and sensual voice.

Her lungs were filled again with fresh air, and she realized she was holding her breath.

« I save your life, I bring you to my hideout, I find you a healer, and you attack me when I am trying to have a conversation? »

She was closer, more than before. She turned and finally saw the aspect of that shadow.

She was one of the most beautiful Vastaya she had seen in her whole life. Her body was perfect. Every curve, every shape was like a piece of art, craving out from the stone. Her white dress, ornate with warm pink borders, enclosed it perfectly, helped by a pastel pink belt, and its neckline highlighted her breast.

Her long hair, of a dark night blue like her ears, was loosely braided, letting some strands out. From her yellow eyes, she could tell she was upset, and her thin pupils were helping her to portray that feeling.

But she directed most of her attention to her nine white fox tails, soft and agile. She was moving them with apparent calm, and they looked like snakes ready to attack her next prey.

Tikkewha was right; she had never seen a Vastaya like her. Neither from her father's legends, she had heard of her tribe, and sometimes they were centuries old.

And it was not even normal that a person like that lived in a cave. She had known Vasayas into their looks, but they had preferred to live inside their tribe and spend their days on the riverside, decorating their hair with flowers. She lived in a cave and she had to gain food by herself, fighting for her survival. And she was doing that with a white dress.

« Sorry… I did not want to hit you… » said approaching.

The woman opened her mouth, ready to object, but she shut it immediately. Rage disappeared from her eyes, now full of fear. Her tails tensed up and she moved back slowly. She realized that she had exposed herself.

She awakened, caught by her presence, and she stopped her in time.

« Wait! I have not bad intentions. I am not able to hit you in this condition! »

The Vastaya raised a hand, asking her not to come nearer.

« Stay away; do not come near. You have seen my powers, and I do not want to hurt you. »

It had to be a dream that could not be her first encounter with her savior. If she had feared her presence, she would have never cared so much. On the other hand, she had done everything for her, even calling a healer because she had not been able to fix her forearm. And Tikkewha had told her that she was apprehensive about her conditions.

She had to receive her warmly, not as a beast to tame.

« What is your problem? You bring me here, and then you treat me in this way? I was wrong trowing that feather, but you were driving me crazy with all you sneaky entrances! » shouted, finally expressing her thoughts.

The woman lowered her arm and looked at her, unable to give her an answer.

She rolled her eyes and did the first step. She did not have another option. She approached and stopped a few feet away. She raised her face, making eye contact.

« I am Xayah and get it through your head. I will stay here for a while, and I would like it if you remembered my name. » said.

Then she turned, directed to the corner where she was before.

[16] The first real day of cohabitation went reasonably good. The Vastaya and she did not exchange a single word, but at least she had shown herself, keeping herself at a discreet distance.

She did not care about that. It was more important she did not hide anymore: her nerves were safe. She had other priorities, like the recovery of her arm. The swelling went down, and the bruise became only a little purple spot. She could tell it was getting better fast, but she did not want to have false expectations.

She was already upset from the results of her training. She would have dared to say she was incapable of throwing her feathers with her left hand and all the holes in the wall testified it.

She recalled her weapon and threw it, failing again. She had hit an old hole, not the point she wanted.

She turned and she found the woman on the edge of the poll. She dipped her legs in the water as before. She did not move and was combing her hair with melancholy, repeatedly undoing the braids she had made. She had another dress. The white candor became vermilion red, more ignited between those grey walls.

She mindlessly moved as if water had hypnotized her and took away her will.

She ignored it and came back to her training, throwing her feather several times. She did not have time to think about her behavior. She had to think about a plan to go inside the temple.

She had to understand how the monks moved and acted. She could go to observe the place when she would have learned to hit the target with her good hand. If she had stayed in the forest, they would not have seen her, in case they would not have come out of the temple.

She remembered the silence around the temple, his unnatural quiet.

But before she had to stop to miss terribly her marks. She made another hole, two meters on the right form were she had aimed. She had never been so bad, neither when her father had trained her when she could have never imagined using her feathers as sharpened blades.

She recalled her weapon, upset by her results.

« Could you please stop for a while? »

The Vastaya's voice was like a scratched melody, a new sound in that environment but not pleasant. The miss was annoyed. She did not like her efforts while she was sitting around.

« If I am bothering you, you can go outside. Tikkewha recommended me to stay inside, and you seem to like long walks… »

She was interrupted by rushing water, followed by some quick steps.

She turned and saw the woman near the entrance, she was quite angry.

« You are right. Good luck with whatever you are doing. »

The Vastaya disappeared under the huge leaves, and she found herself looking at a hole. She was gone. Her bad tongue had taken away the company she had desired for so long.

Probably she was distraught and she would have never treated her kindly. Her first encounter was not the best, but that reaction could have worsened the situation.

The Vastaya began everything; she was sure. If she had asked more nicely to stop her training, she would have been calmer on her answer. She could not believe that, after an entire day of silence, those had been her first words. She had asked for that answer. She had no right to pout.

Even so, she felt something growing inside her a weird feeling, a little weight that grew every time she thought back at her words. She could try to deny, but she was feeling guilty for sure.

As far as she could tell herself she was right, she knew she could have spoken more kindly. Despite her unusual behavior, that woman did a lot for her. She had to thank her, not wipe the floor with her.

The damage was already done, overthinking was useless. It was better if she went on with her training and tried to delete those words, helped by the sounds of her hits.


	18. Chapter 17

[17] The water was warm and was slowly refreshing her limbs. The rivers were colder and less comfortable; her skin was used to worst conditions. That was a pleasant bath, perfect for her wounded forearm.  
She had to hang it tided on her neck without the splints, using only the fabric. In that way, she would have never wetted them. She had to be very careful, and warmer water would have helped her on her movements.  
She walked to the middle of the pool. When she was sure she could still touch the bottom, she plunged. When she resurfaced, she felt more light and calm, caressed by the delicate crystalline water. She moved her and her long furry ears, throwing away the biggest drops. After she would have done the same with her feathers when she would have had time to open her wing.  
She took a deep breath and plunged again, letting her face outside the water. She felt free; no more dust was covering her. She hated it, mostly between her feathers, and only wanted to take them away. It was rough and heavy, just a bother.  
She was careful with her wing; she tried to clean it as much as possible, so it would always have been perfect and sharp. But with her broken forearm is was more difficult, she was able only to clean the bottom of her wings. Now that it was plunged into the water, she felt relieved.  
She tried to sit near the border, where the water was lower, and she enjoyed that moment of peace.  
At first, she had thought to use the small internal lake of the cave, but she did not know its depth. She would have bathed there later before she would have left for the temple.  
The leaves near the entrance moved; her temporary boarder was back.  
She turned embarrassed. She did not want to make eye contact; the Vastaya could see her sense of guilt printed on her face.  
She stared at the water until the woman disappeared inside the lair where they slept. She raised her face and pretended the Vastaya never came inside.  
She ran her fingers through her hair, trying to comb out the biggest knots. It was even harder and more annoying with one hand. As much as she loved to take care of her wing, she could not say the same about them. Since she was little, she was used to cutting them with the arrival of the warm season; she had thought they were just a bother. But one day, a boy had told her she could be prettier with longer hair. She had fallen for it has an idiot. When she had forgotten about that little crush, she had found herself with untamable hair, and she became attached to it. Every time she had tried to cut them, she had felt upset, as she was going to hurt an old friend. She had given up and had let them grow until her shoulders. But unfortunately, knots usually found a home there.  
The Vastaya came near and laid a bowl full of berries.  
She thanked her with a murmur, trying not to look at her face. Guilt raised inside her, and she could not stop it. Even if the woman was angry, she had still collected some food, without thinking about her inappropriate comment.  
She combed out her hair again, with more anger. She felt stupid and proud at the same time. She needed to vent someway.  
When she found another knot, she violently slapped the water, splashing it on the food. An old friend or not, at that moment she just wanted to cut them all.  
« Do you need a hand? »  
She was surprised to hear that voice, but not as the words. They were a peace offer. She would have been even more stupid if she did not accept them. She swallowed her pride and nodded.  
A hand took softly one of her strands, and another started to comb it carefully. She did not realize the Vastaya was taking away her knots; her touch was very light. She felt pain only when the woman found a big one, difficult to comb.  
« Sorry, but I think that it is better if you sit on the edge. There are too many knots, and it isn't very easy for me to comb them out in this position. » said the woman.  
She decided to accept the suggestion, so she could also free her wing form the weight of the water.  
She came out of the pool, and when she found the right place, she opened it and shook her feathers with a quick rustle. When they were in order, she went to collect her clothes, but a dress landed on her, covering her sight.  
« Wear that one. Yours needs to be cleaned. »  
She took the robe surprised. The Vastaya did not just collect some food. She also found her a new dress.  
The woman was showing her a smile, not entirely covered by her hand. She had found something funny in her, maybe the way she had dried her feathers. Other sharp words came up to her mouth, but the soft dress remembered her what the woman had just done for her.  
She took courage and said those words.  
« I am sorry before I have spoken without thinking. »  
She did not wait for her reply. She turned and tried to wear the robe. She felt ashamed; she gave up her strict stances. But she also felt more relieved, free from her guilt.  
She did not know how much time she spent, but in the end, she was able to wear that tight and sleeveless dress. She did not know that material; it was too crafted and soft. Vastayas did not make such refined clothes, and they just needed them to be practical for hunting.  
Humans had made them. It was not hard to understand. Only their manufactures used that cerulean shade and those drawings, similar to small waves. Probably the woman had stolen that from a village, like the ones she wore.  
She was not annoyed. The Vastaya lived alone, and it would have been hard for her to make some clothes on her own. And it was better that she stole them from humans than from some Vastayan tribes.  
She tried to close the collar, but the small buttons, her broken forearm and her wing made the achievement impossible. She gave up and turned.  
« I need some help also with this. » said, pointing at her neck.  
« If you sit down here, we will solve everything. » replied the woman, gracefully kneeling.  
Her fluffy tales followed her slowly, reaching the ground.  
She was still thinking about the woman's origin tribe. It was impossible not to know or forget such creatures. She wanted to ask her, but thinking about the Vastaya's lonely life stopped her. She knew what meant not to have a place to return or a family. She did not want to open such wounds again. They were painful, and it was not pleasant to remember them.  
She sat on the edge of the pool and crossed her legs, careful not to hurt herself with her talons. The woman closed her collar and started again to comb her hair.  
They did not say a single word, and they stayed in silence inside the cave.  
It was something usual, but this time she felt no tense. That place was calm, not covered by an unpleasant silence. That feeling was comfortable, and the soft touch of the woman was relaxing her. « I... I am not good with people. » said the Vastaya, partially breaking that mood.  
She stopped to smooth the lower part of her feathers, still wet, and she listened to her.  
« Every time that I have tried, it has not ended well. I do not want to involve you with my life... »  
« Apology accepted. » replied, realizing what the woman wanted to tell her with those words.  
She heard her sighing, relieved before she felt her soft touch on her cheeks.  
« Nor try not to move your head. »  
She did not understand that request, and when the women grabbed her hair, she turned, trying to understand what she was doing. Her head was immediately turned, and she saw the wall of the cave again, unable to object.  
She puffed and let the woman do her things. She did not want to break their truce for something so stupid.  
She felt her hair tightening behind her head. The Vastaya was styling them, as she was doing with her hair before.  
When she finished, she put down a braid on her left shoulder. It was very thin, and she could not believe that it was holding her wild hair. She had tightened them a lot; her head was still tingling.  
« In this way, they will not be a bother when you trow your feathers. And you also look prettier. » said the Vastaya, making her see her reflection on the water.  
The girl she saw did not look like her. She just recognized the pomace hair, the long and straight ears, white on the top, and her yellow eyes full of surprise.  
The changes were objectively small; she just had a braid that tamed her wild hair, still free on her bangs, and wore a different dress. Even so, she thought she was pretty for once.  
The hairstyle let her face clear, highlighting its round and delicate features along with her eyes. And the dress, even it was made by humans, was perfect and gave her a feminine touch. Her young body looked more graceful and slim.  
Her wing, of an intense purple and magenta, leaned gently on her shoulder. That instrument of death gave her more elegance, thanks to his soft feathering.  
That Vastaya was able to hide the wild girl that loved to run on the trees and fight, revealing a young woman.  
« I am going to look for some meaty food. We can not only eat berries. »  
There was a hint of sadness in the Vastaya's eyes when she stood up and walked away.  
She recognized that expression. The woman had it that morning before they had argued. The mood broke, the harmony they had created vanished.  
She did not answer and let her go away. She did not want to upset her again, not at that moment, when she had finally found some company.


	19. Chapter 18

[18] « What is your name? » she asked the Vastaya while she was washing some bowls in the pool.  
The woman looked at her baffled as if the answer was more complicated.  
After their brief dialogue, she took the distance from her again, talking to her only when it was necessary. She was avoiding her and had never tried another approach.  
And she knew that the Vastaya was moved by fear.  
She remembered well their first encounter; she was hiding from her. Something happened in her past, something that moved her in that direction. And she did not want to force her.  
The woman also proved kind, but she could change behaviour if she would have asked about her past.  
But her name was a must, and it was practical for their cohabitation.  
« Did I not tell you my name? » the Vastaya asked.  
« No. I am calling you " hey you" since we first met. »  
The woman looked at the bowl in her hands. Her eyes were full of melancholy again. She opened her mouth, but not a single sound came out. She was afraid to say that single word. Maybe she feared it could create a bond with her, like the braid that was laying on her shoulder.  
The woman confessed she was not good with people, but it was a lie. She did not want to do that. She had isolated herself in that cave so that she could stay away from the world. Something was keeping her out of sight, a vow she broke when she found her in the forest.  
She puffed and turned, leaving the Vastaya with her problem. She had already her own and had to concentrate on them. First thing, she was getting better with her left arm. She had improved her aim and was able to hit almost the spot she had in mind. She felt ready to outside and spy the temple. Probably she would have done that the following day.  
She had the urgent need to smell the scents of the forest and to see the infinite blue sky on her head again. Closed inside that cave, she missed the freedom; it was too small for her needs. She could not run; she could not climb and feel the energy of the wild magic completely.  
She had accepted that because she was not able to defend herself, but now she could not bear it anymore.  
« Ahri. »  
After she heard that name, she felt into reality again. She was inside a cave, and the Vastaya that lived with her had just spoken. The woman said that, and she was sure she would have never heard her name.  
It did not sound familiar to her; it did not belong to any tribe she knew, as her aspect. Maybe she had to stop asking herself about her origins.  
She stopped her training and got close. She knelt next to her so that she could look directly in her fox eyes. They were waiting for her reaction, but they were not serene.  
They were begging her not to start a conversation, to let them both go back to their tasks.  
« You are weird », she said, standing up, « By the way, tomorrow I will take a walk around here. I need to breathe. »  
« Why are you saying this to me? » Ahri asked, confused.  
« So if you do not find me, you will not worry. »  
A heavy silence fell between them. It was like none of them was breathing, frozen inside that moment.  
A single movement broke it; Ahri threw the bowl angrily in the pool and turned towards her.  
She was scared of the Vastaya. She could not deny that. She had sensed the power inside her magic; she would have never been able to overwhelm her.  
But what she feared more was the reason for that reaction. She had not said anything wrong and had acted appropriately. Anyone would have been worried; she had never left the cave after all.  
« Why do you make it so hard? » Ahri yelled, coming near.  
Her eyes were no more fogged up by melancholy. Now, they were lighted up by anger. An Anger she did not understand and could not face.  
She moved her hand, instinctively, toward her feathers. She did not want to attack her, but she did not see other options. The woman had gone mad, a victim of an alteration in her mood.  
Ahri hid her face in her hands, along with her eyes, ready to cry.  
She relaxed her hand; the Vastaya had never wanted to attack her. She did not understand what was going on inside her mind and did not know how to comfort her. Ahri had isolated herself, and it was obvious that her presence had broken her harmony.  
Maybe it was time she found another hiding place so that they could go their separate paths.  
« Sorry, I did not want to say something wrong. Maybe tomorrow... »  
Ahri shook her head and stood up, wiping a short tear with her hand.  
« It is not your fault. Did I not tell you? I am not good with people », she said, smiling bitterly, « Maybe it is better if I leave the cave and find another one so that you can stay here in peace.»  
The Vastaya was acting as if she was the victim, blaming herself for her terrible temper. And she hated who tried so hard to be pitied.  
Ahri enlightened her weaknesses to gain attention and to be comforted.  
She would have believed her if she had not looked for a healer for repairing at her wrong splint. And she could not forget the empathy The Vastaya had created some days ago when she had combed her hair. Her will dictated everything, the same that now wanted to push her away.  
« Do whatever you want. But If you leave, I want to thank you for what you have done. »  
« Please, I have only avoided you for all this time. » Ahri replied, chocking a laugh.  
Her rage raised, but she tried to calm herself. She had to play her game, or she would have heard those empty moans again.  
« But you have also saved me, and someone bad with people does not do that », she said, passing by her, « It is what you wanted to hear, is not it? »  
She could not resist to provoke her. She hated such behaviour; her reaction was instinctive.  
Ahri grabbed her right shoulder and put a hand on her cheek, forcing her to turn.  
« Do not jump to a conclusion if you do not know someone. »  
In her eyes, there was no more a request for pity, but a sharp honesty. She thought those words, more than the previous ones.  
She went back on her positions, Ahri was weird, maybe too much. She could not understand her and feared to try it. But there was something that was pushing her towards the woman, a feeling of closeness to another Vastaya.  
Another Vastaya that was alone like her.  
She had thought to leave, but she did not want to do that. Ahri's eyes did not share only the same color as hers, but the same feeling of loneliness. She could not abandon her at her fate. It was like she hurt herself.  
« You are weird, but I do not dislike your company. But If you prefer to leave, I will not stop you. » she said, moving away Ahri's hand.  
She left her behind, heading towards the entrance. She would have lied in wait under the big leaves and enjoyed some fresh air. In the meanwhile, she hoped Ahri would have cleared her head.


	20. Chapter 19 & 20 Part 1

[19] _«__ Please, please, another one! __»__ she exclaimed, making her ears stand straight up.  
« Xayah, you should have been asleep for a while. And if I tell you all the legends of our people now, what will I tell you the next nights? » her father replied.  
« So tell me how Vihtori defeated the Thousand Teeth Demon! » she said, looking him pleading in his dark eyes, so intense that they seemed black.  
Everybody, watching them, would have said that she was his daughter. They looked the same, from the color of their hair to their feathering. Also, the shape of their eyes and the round features of their face were similar.  
Only the eyes were different. Those were the only inheritance of her mother, died shortly after her birth.  
She had never met her, but she felt like she was still alive, a ghost that took shape when her father spoke about her. Every word seemed to bring her back to life, so much was the passion in his description.  
Both had lost her too soon, but he did everything not to forget her. Even if she had gone back inside Earth's womb, part of her soul was still with them thanks to his stories.  
But at that moment, she did not want to hear those tales filled with melancholy. She wanted action and adventure. She wanted to identify herself with the great heroes of the past and dreamed of becoming like them one day.  
Her father did not give up, but she begged him with her eyes, knowing the power of that amber sight could influence him.  
« All right, but it is the last one. But after you should go to sleep. Tomorrow you have hard training. »  
She nodded and was ready to hear those words again, even if she had memorized them.  
But something went wrong. After her father opened his mouth, his figure began to shatter, as if it was made of pottery. The pieces felt off one by one, and she tried to grab him before he would have disappeared. But her hand met the emptiness, a cold and black emptiness.  
She was alone; there was no one in that place. She called her father at the top of her lungs. She was scared and did not want to stay there. She wanted to go back to her tribe, to her father and to hear his stories again.  
She kept on calling him. She would have done it as long as she would have breathed. He could not abandon her, not him.  
She was desperate and started to cry while her voice became more and more hoarse. She could not take it any longer. She had to breathe and use all the air inside her lungs. In that way, he would have heard her. He had to. _

[20] A hand closed her mouth, and she flinched, waking up from that nightmare. Ahri was kneeling in front of her, and her yellow eyes were just some centimeters far from her face. The Vastaya looked worried, and she asked herself what could have happened.  
« Stop screaming, they could hear you,» she whispered.  
Everything was clear; she felt asleep under the broad leaves of the undergrowth. Her dream had turned into a nightmare, and it seemed she had called her father in real life.  
A pang of sorrow ripped through her chest when she thought about him. She missed him and wanted him at her side. With him, it would have been easier to find her tribe, but he had disappeared along with the others.  
A sound distracted her from her thoughts. There were some steps, probably a group of people was nearby.  
She understood why Ahri was worried and nodded. The Vastaya let her go and turned, bent as a predator ready to attack.  
« Stay here. I will handle this,» she said before she disappeared into the bright green leaves.  
Her nature was not to stay apart if she could help, but above all, her nature was not to obey if she did not agree.  
She followed Ahri, careful not to lose her trail. Her red dress made her easy to notice, as her majestic white tales. But the Vastaya was quite fast, and because she had to pay attention to her forearm, she had to move slowly. She was risking to distance her too much.  
The first huge and knobby trunks appeared in the undergrowth, and short after Ahri stopped and hide. She kept her soft tales down, careful not to let them out form her hideout.  
She reached the Vastaya quietly and looked around. She wanted to find who gained her attention. They were at the end of the undergrowth, where a trail built by humans started.  
« Why are you here? » Ahri asked in a low voice, pretty worried.  
« I am doing ok with my left arm. I can always distract them while you attack with your magic. » replied, looking at her objectives.  
They were three young men, and their clothes had the same colors of the forest. On their backs, they had flexible bows and quivers full of arrows, while they also had sharp knives on their belts.  
They were hunters; she had one more reason to believe they were dangerous. They did not stop only in front of animals, and a Vastaya would have been a more aspired prey.  
But she and Ahri were not naive and would not have bent in front of their simple weapons.  
She was surprised at her thoughts. She had already involved Ahri in her plans. They had never fought together, and she did not know if the Vastaya was a good ally.  
So, what gave her all that trust?  
« Do you want to attack them? But they did nothing. » the woman said.  
« I have thought you came here for that. »  
The Vastaya did not reply and looked at her, confused. She got over her catatonic condition and found the words.  
« No, I just wanted to be sure they will not find the cave. In that case, I would have defended myself. »  
Ahri hesitated, and she noticed that. It seemed that she had found the true intentions of the Vastaya, that went back on them with an excuse.  
And it was even a silly excuse. She was ready to get rid of the intruders, stopping her made no sense.  
Maybe Ahri was afraid she could hurt her weak forearm.  
And she could be grateful for her concern, but she knew her limits.  
Or at least, she tried to know them.  
« It is better to do not trust them. They could come back and scour better this place,» she replied, reaching her feathers.  
She hoped Ahri understood the hidden meaning in that sentence; she was ready to fight even if she had a broken forearm. A group of immature hunters would not have stopped her.  
« Stop, do not do rash actions. If they find us, we will have to... »  
« Eliminate them? It is what I have said since the beginning. » she hissed annoyed.  
Ahri seemed not to understand or did not want to. Maybe she had lived inside that cave for too long and did not went too far from it. She was lucky, nor humans or dangerous creatures had aver discovered her hideout.  
But fortune could change, and the Vastaya had to be ready. Maybe she was a bit rusty, but her memory could be refreshed.  
She could do that, as a sign of gratitude.  
« But... they do not... »  
« I know, they look quiet and calm, but they will never hesitate to aim...»  
One of the young men turned suddenly, reaching his knife with his hand.  
Ahri reacted and closed her mouth without turning away from the hunters.  
She did not react and tried to breathe less as she could. Every single sound could reveal their position, and they would have lost the element of surprise.  
« What is it? » one of the other boys asked.  
« I think I have heard something. »  
She stopped to breathe, and her muscles were all tensed. She had spoken, sure that the group was inexperienced. But she was wrong and had made a mistake. She had not to make them anymore, especially when they were so stupid. That was a perfect way not to find her tribe, falling in a trap caused by her carelessness.  
The humans kept their ears open and listened to the sounds around them. Some birds chirped in the distance, and the leaves moved placid. Neither she or Ahri made a single sound. It was as they became part of the undergrowth.  
The hunters talked with each other and concluded there were no preys in the nearby. They turned and started to walk along the trail. It was the perfect signal to take action.  
Ahri moved her hand, and she instantly grabbed one of her feathers. She charged it with magical energy and was ready to throw it. She hoped at least to hit one of the three humans.  
She aimed, but the Vastaya stopped her and immobilized her on the ground. She acted too late. The feather left her hand and stuck itself in a trunk nearby.  
Two hunters turned and unsheathed their knives. The other one was able to nock an arrow and stayed behind, ready to shoot.  
She could only look at Ahri with hate. She had not only ruined her surprise attack but had also made them perfect preys. The Vastaya was blocking her with her weight and paid more attention to immobilize her than to their enemies. She put them in danger to save those humans' lives. She had too much faith, but she could not always believe that no one would have found her cave.  
Maybe those three could find that area perfect for hunting, and maybe they would have given that information to other companions. So they would have come and would have carefully searched for new preys. And then that cave would have come out.  
It was better to discourage them from coming back or kill them if the situation would have become more complicated. The bodies of such young men would not have raise researches. They were easy to forget. And if there were a rumor about a soul-eating creature, someone would have accused it of their disappearing.  
« Now, you will not move and let me fix this. » Ahri whispered, touching her face with her midnight blue hair.


	21. Chapter 20 Part 2

She shivered, and her breath stopped inside her throat. The sweet and soft voice of the Vastaya sounded threatening, a warning she had to follow.  
Ahri stood up slowly, letting her free. But she could not move; those words made her body heavy as a rock.  
She did not want to contradict her. She feared her reaction. She knew how much the Vastaya was powerful and at that moment had discovered a less pleasant and darker side of her. She had imagined she could get angry, but she did not expect such a sharp menace.  
Ahri acted naively in front of danger, but she knew how to be intimidating.  
She finally was able to turn her face, careful to not make any sound. The Vastaya was slowly walking towards the hunters, caught by her appearance. It seemed they did not want to attack her, and they could not. Everybody would have been powerless in front of her beauty, even for a moment.  
« I do not want to hurt you. I am just passing through. »  
Her voice was again soft and warm, with also a bit of sensuality.  
She did not understand her intentions, and because she could not see her face, she had to guess them by the movements of her tales. And they moved slow, for her that was suspicious.  
She was pretending for attacking them, or she wanted to let them go?  
She desired to come out of hiding, but Ahri's words were resounding inside her head. She did not want to contradict her, not after she had used that tone with her.  
The hunters did not reply. They stood and watched her in silence, while she moved a hand inside her midnight blue hair.  
« So, if we go our separate ways there will not be any problem, right? »  
She was losing herself in the movement of Ahri's tales. They swung like some quite creatures ready to suddenly attack their preys.  
She asked again to herself if all that calm was just a facade so that she could trick them.  
« We... we want to see also the other one, » said one of the boys.  
« The other one? » Ahri asked, with faked innocence.  
« We have seen the knife that now it is on the tree,» he replied with the support of his companions.  
The Vastaya laughed, a crystalline sound that echoed in the forest. It was fake and quite disturbing.  
The hunters looked at her worried, mostly the archer that nocked its arrow even more.  
Even if Ahri had threatened her, she was ready to take action. Good manners had not obtained any positive effect. They had not lowered their weapons and did not want to leave.  
« That was not a knife. It was a feather! » Ahri said, amused.  
The boys looked at each other confused and skeptical. They were sure she was making fun of them.  
She wanted to show them how much they were wrong, how much they should have feared such a harmless object.  
« If you did not believe that, I will show you. »  
After she said those word, Ahri turned to her. She knelled with calm and careful to not scare the boys. She reached out to mention she had to grab her hand.  
Ahri had something on her mind, or she would have never gone back on her words.  
She decided

to trust the Vastaya. If she went out of the hideout, she could also attack better the hunters. They would have been nearer, and she could be able to hit them even with the left arm.  
She grabbed her hand after she was sure the humans would have stayed still. They kept their firm grip on their weapons, ready to defend themselves. They would have acted if she had been hostile. They were not brave enough to take action.  
Ahri let her out from the undergrowth slowly, giving her a hand to stand up. She considered that help undue until the Vastaya put her lips close to her ears. Then she whispered an inaudible " stay behind me and do not move".  
She made just some steps before Ahri left her hand.  
« What have I said? » the Vastaya said with a fake smile.  
The hunters petrified when they saw her. They could not believe in having a creature like her in front of their eyes.  
She felt like a freak, a fake supernatural creature created to extort money. She hated those looks, she was not a mistake of nature, but Nature herself gave her the strength.  
She had to stop herself from attacking them and leaving marks on their eyes. So they would not have looked at her anymore.  
« My sister was just scared. She did not want to harm you, » Ahri continued, approaching the hunters slowly.  
Not a Vastaya would have believed in those words. It was obvious they belonged to two different tribes. She would have never been her sister.  
But those were humans, and they could be tricked.  
« So, since I have answered your questions, we can go our separate ways. »  
Ahri had reached one of the hunters, the one with his guard down. She had put her hand on his cheek and said that sentence with a soft voice when their faces were very close.  
It seemed like she wanted to charm him, and it would not have been difficult. That human could not act, attracted by her beauty. He was not even able to reply. He just looked at her, full of desire.  
The arched had to interfere, grabbing his companion's hand.  
« Let's go. I do not want to go back empty-handed. »  
The boy nodded and got carried away without looking away from Ahri. The other two also turned their heads twice, but it was not clear if it was for suspicion or her beauty.  
But she did not care about the hunters. She often kept her eyes on her, wary. She remembered her not to attack the group with her feathers.  
And she had to obey against her will, fearing an adverse reaction. She did not accept her decision; Ahri had been too naive. But had her as an enemy it was even worse than ignore some humans.  
When they disappeared from their sight, the Vastaya sighed of relief and relaxed her tails.  
« Why did you... »  
She could not finish her question. Ahri was looking at her hand, lost in distant memories. And from her melancholic attitude, it was clear they were not happy.  
It was not the first time her mood became sad, enveloped by the thin darkness of her past.  
« I go back inside, » she said then.  
Ahri did not answer or move, so she turned to go back inside the undergrowth.  
« I am sorry. I have overreacted and have risked damaging your broken arm. »  
Her voice made her look back. The Vastaya was not angry with her, but she was trying to smile.  
She shrugged, not knowing how to reply. She was trying to be kind with her, even if she had threatened her. She feared that every single world would have upset Ahri.  
« Anyway, you can stay. »  
She looked at her, confused. The Vastaya wanted to tell her something, but she could not understand what in a specific way.  
Ahri approached and reached out.  
Her gaze became even more skeptical. She was not able to follow her intentions.  
« I show you the surroundings. We might have started with the right foot, but I am ready to make up. »


	22. Chapter 21 & 22

[21] « So you fell from a temple? » asked Ahri, walking quickly on some tangled branches.  
She tried to climb on the natural path where the Vastaya was, but it was impossible with a broken arm. She could dig her claws on the wood as much as she wanted, but she had not enough strength to lift her body.  
At least, she did not have to answer to Ahri; she had to focus on something else.  
She did not like that sudden mood shift; it was too strange. She did not mind the Vastaya opened herself. She had liked it when she had given her that dress and had combed her air.  
But that moment felt natural. Now she was afraid that Ahri was faking. And she had seen her behaviour with the three hunters; the Vastaya could be a great actress if she wanted to achieve her goals.  
But she did not understand what she wanted from her.  
A hand entered in her sight, and she puffed; she had to accept her help. So she reached the natural path, a long trail of tangled branches, born from the proximity of some huge trees.  
They had emerged in the middle of that coniferous forest. They were secular and silent inhabitants and with time had united with each other, creating those aerial paths.  
She had already seen that phenomenon in Ionia, but not inside a forest full of young and delicate trees. They looked as old guardians, the last on that land.  
« Yes, » she finally answered to Ahri, noticing her sincere smile.  
It would have been rude not to answer to a person that was being kind with her.  
« Not the one on the top of the hill, right? » the Vastaya asked.  
« Yes, that one. It is a long story, » she said, moving ahead.  
The conversation had to stop at that moment. She did not want to tell Ahri about her plans and be judged for them. She had heard the tone of that question; the woman was worried and not a little.  
She did not care about the dangerousness of humans, but she seemed to know about the reputation of the Temple of Whispers.  
Maybe she had underestimated the rumours about that place.  
« And where have you learned to throw your feathers? » Ahri asked, coming near.  
Another question, another she did not want to face. The Vastaya seemed to choose them carefully.  
« My father taught me. It is a tradition of my tribe, » she said, moving a branch full of large leaves.  
« And... »  
« And you? What is your tribe? » she asked.  
Ahri stopped and lowered her sight, playing nervously with her hair.  
She felt cruel to shut her in that way, making her sad, but she had to. Her curiosity was touching some sensible points, some memories she was not ready to share.  
She did not mind to talk, but the subjects were uncomfortable.  
« It is a long story... »  
Ahri had played the same card; she had preferred to omit than to speak. She could not blame her; she understood her reasons.  
« Maybe we should start with something more simple, » the Vastaya said, jumping on some lower branches.  
She finally heard a wise sentence, after too many annoying. Her question had got an unexpected impact. Probably it had put Ahri on her same perspective, and she had understood her feelings.  
She accepted her offer, even if she still did not trust her spontaneity. She reached the Vastaya with a quick jump, landing next to her.  
« Like what? »  
« Do you like water lilies? »  
It was a better question, but she did not get the context. Water lilies were a gorgeous flower, but that statement was useless at that moment.  
« Yes, they are pretty, » she replied.  
« Perfect! Follow me. »

[22] Ahri led her on that tangled path, helping her when she had some difficulties.  
She did not understand her behaviour. The Vastaya was too kind to her, too open, especially after her last words: she could not stay by her side.  
Maybe some sense of guilt had haunted Ahri while she was sleeping? Maybe meeting some humans had enlightened her?  
It was a mystery, one of the many about her.  
She did not make any question, and the Vastaya also did not break the silence. It was not as heavy as when they were inside the cave. It was lighter and became a pleasant break. She was able to hear the sounds of that forest, from the low chirping of cicadas to the singing birds. She could also sense the soft steps of some tiny animals, agile and snappy.  
The trees were silence, proved by that windless day. They looked old and tired, weakened by the weight of their ages. Their knots covered their wood as wrinkles, but the leaves grew lush, green and shiny.  
Ahri crawled through some dense branches. She tried to follow her, but she had some difficulties. They were too much to move using only one arm.  
The Vastaya helped her and led her at the end of that aerial path.  
Now the question about the water lilies made sense. Under them, there was a small lake, painted with crystalline colours ad covered with those flowers.  
They were gliding quietly on its surface, like clouds in the sky. They were pastel spots inside an intense green and bright turquoise.  
It was a pretty sight, not the best she had seen, but after her long period inside the cave, it had a pleasant shade.  
« I found it by chance, walking inside the forest. Sometimes I came here to relax and then I have found this picturesque spot, » Ahri explained.  
« I like it, » she answered, sitting on the branches.  
« That is good. » the Vastaya replied, settling down next to her.  
She seemed relieved by those simple words. Maybe Ahri was trying to build a relationship with her, despite her problems.  
And she had to accept it and not remain inside her forced isolation.  
She could have found support, an aid after all that time alone. It was unexpected, but that did not mean it was terrible.  
They were both far from their tribes, and they had to count only on themselves. They had more things in common than differences, like being afraid to build a relationship.  
It was the truth: she wanted to communicate with Ahri, but she feared they could bond. She knew one day she had to leave the Vastaya behind. She had to follow a path too impervious for someone that lived peacefully inside a cave. She had already lost too much and did not want to get lost in an illusion.  
She looked at the crystalline waters for a long time. She watched some long colourful fishes swimming between the water lilies, lulled by the sound of the forest.  
Ahri did not speak. She was also enjoying the peace and the tranquillity of that place.  
It had been a long time since she got a moment to relax, a break from her obsessive research. She had never thought of stopping, neither for one minute.  
And in front of those blue waters, she did not regret that. She felt her mind more light and free. She had to broke an arm to understand that taking a breath could help to regain strength.  
« You are not that bad,» she said to Ahri.  
She was not good at saying "thanks", especially to strangers. But the Vastaya deserved that, even if she did not say it directly. She hoped she understood. It was too embarrassing to pronounce that word.  
« Thank you, » replied the woman.  
She smiled a little bit, looking at the small lake. Ahri had understood.


	23. Chapter 23

[23] Tikkewha palpated her forearm, touching the point where it had broken. Her fingers were soft and careful not to hurt her.  
« Does it hurt you? » the Vastaya asked, without raising her face.  
« No, » she answered.  
It was true. She was not acting, trying to hold her pain. She did not feel anything; Tikkewha's touch was like a gentle massage. Maybe it was for loosening her muscles instead of checking her arm.  
« Try to move it, » the Vastaya suggested.  
She obeyed, moving it carefully. She feared it would sting, a signal that her forearm had not recovered yet. She would have hated to keep those splints and not to move freely. She wanted to climb on the trees and jump from a branch to another without any help. She wanted to be independent again, capable to handle herself.  
She was able to bend it and did not feel any pain. It was weird indeed; she was used to having it splinted, moving it felt like a new experience.  
She smiled satisfied. She could finally proceed with her plan and go to keep an eye on the Temple of Whispers. For that moment, it was enough to climb on a tree and watch the area. She would have enough time to rest. And she knew she had to do it; she could feel that her arm was weak.  
« Did it hurt? » Tikkewha asked, looking at her with her deep dark eyes.  
« No, does it mean it is healed? »  
She hoped in a positive response. She was looking forward to going back in action.  
Her routine was certainly more animated as before. Ahri was more talkative. They had some conversations, even if they were about their daily life. They talked about how to prepare some meals and which berries to collect. But they also discussed how to avoid humans and how to manage their spaces. They did not bring up personal topics anymore. They both knew they were not ready to talk about them. Probably they would have never done that, and she would have said farewell to the Vastaya in that way, remembering her merely as her saviour.  
But she did not want to think about that moment yet. She was not ready to go back to her days spent alone. She was enjoying that unexpected company, even if sometimes Ahri disappeared. She did not ask her some explanations. She used that time for her training and her plan. She had to enter the temple alone, so she had to organize it by herself. It was her mission; Ahri was not involved.  
« Yes, but this does not mean you could strive right now. Take your time and if you feel some pain, stop immediately, » Tikkewha answered her.  
Maybe she had expected too much, but she was still satisfied. She could leave the splints and strengthen her arm. She had to proceed slowly; she had no other options. Entering the Temple of Whispers would not have been easy alone. She had to recover most of her strength if she wanted to succeed.  
« Until I will stay in this area, I will come back to make you some massages. They will help you, » Tikkewha said.  
« Thank you, for everything, » she replied gratefully.  
That Vastaya and Ahri had saved her life, giving her a chance to pursue her research. She could attack and defend herself again, two fundamental actions if she wanted to find her father and her tribe.  
She would have never forgotten her. She would have kept that token inside her heart, and one day would have rewarded her. A vow bonded her with the Vastaya, one of the nobler. One that could also ask for one life in exchange.  
« Is she healed? » Ahri asked, entering the lair where they slept.  
She had invited Tikkewha for lunch to thank her, and so, until that moment, she was cleaning some food.  
She could also not forget Ahri, probably her debt with her was even bigger. She had found her in the forest and had tried to treat her wounds. She had also looked for a healer for her forearm, that she was not able to cure.  
If she thought about abandoning her in that solitary life, it left a sour taste in her mouth. Tikkewha had a job to do; she helped the Vastayan villages in difficulty. Ahri would have spent her days in that cave, going on with her miserable life. It was not a fair deal, not if she had such an important vow with her. Before she left her, she had to be sure she was at least happy.  
« Yes, she has just to strengthen her arm. Try to help her and be careful; she does not strive too much. She does not have to lift weights and does not have to do sudden movements for at least two weeks. »  
That sentence removed her from her thought and made her concentrate on something more concrete.  
« But can I throw my feathers? » she asked.  
« As weapons do you mean? No, just to be sure. I know that you Lhotlans used them to defend yourselves, but for now, it is better if you rely on your partner. »  
Even if Tikkewha was speaking to her, she understood that she directed the last part to Ahri.  
The Vastaya nodded, confirming that she would have helped her.  
She felt again powerless, unable to be independent. It was an endless agony, that would have never let her breathe. She was forced not to defend herself, forced to rely on someone who was still a stranger, like a toddler that moved its first steps.  
It was a harsh lesson, but she would have learnt it. She would have never acted without calculating all the obstacles. She would have planned everything and would not have followed somebody else's ideas. She had to consider the other only if they were reliable and not humans.  
« Until now, she did a great job, and I am sure she will keep doing it, » Tikkewha said, caressing her head.  
She accepted that lovely gesture. Under the soft fur, she could feel the warmth she wanted to convey.  
« Luckily, your arm was not the only thing that was repaired. »


	24. Chapter 24

[24] She was angry, or it was better if she said she was irritated. She had started to keep an eye on the Temple of Whispers, perched on one of the last trees of the forest. She had borne chills for days, caused by the negative energy of that place. Her guts had tangled, and her instinct had always told her to run away from that cursed place. But she had lost some days even to find that temple, leaving tracks inside the forest, careful that humans would have never seen them.  
She would have never asked Ahri for indications. She had noticed her glance when she had named that place. She would have stopped her from going near, as any sane Vastaya.  
She had spent days researching, waiting, flavoured by a monotonous watch, wasted because she had obtained nothing. Not a single person had appeared inside the courtyard, and not a single priest had shown themselves. But she was sure she had seen them, they and their empty eyes, and stiffed as moving rocks.  
In a normal situation, she would have given up. She had understood that the temple was a strange place. And if something was too strange, it was also dangerous.  
People did not come near; they feared its reputation. Not even the invaders had been able to conquer it, and they had destroyed entire cities. The only insane persons had been the humans that had brought her inside the temple. Humans that she had never seen again inside the forest. Probably they had been swallowed by that doomed place.  
But she would have entered there again and would have spoken with that damned witch. She knew where her tribe was. She knew what happened to them. It was a high price; she would have had a lead finally. But still, it seemed to easy to reach.  
She almost ripped a feather when she tried to polish it. She was too nervous and was expressing her frustration in the wrong way. She tried to calm down and go on with her meticulous cleaning. She had started it to relax, but it had the opposite effect. She had to empty her mind, or she would have plucked herself.  
She looked at the basket on her side, full of red and orange juicy fruits. She had already collected her alibi. She had just to go back to the cave and hope that Ahri was there. Her empty talks were perfect for her mood, those tedious descriptions on how nature could bring different benefits. She had tried too many times to give her oils and sticky creams she had made, but she had always refused; having a perfect skin would have been useless during an engagement.  
They were moments when she remembered the girls at her village. They were careful to take care of their appearance so that they could gain the attention of the boys. She had never followed their talks and their gossips, and now, ironically, they were her salvation from boredom and her delusions.  
She stopped to polish her feathers and decided to reach the cave, but some voices gained her attention. She jumped on a higher branch, more covered by the green leaves, and waited for the wanderers. She had learnt that it was better to avoid them if they were humans. Especially alone and with her weak arm, she was at risk. They were not so careful at their surroundings and rarely laid their eyes on the top of the trees. They fell safe, holding tight their weapons. They were sure that those iron sticks and bows could help them not to lose their lives.  
And they did not know how much they were wrong; a single feather thrown from her hiding place would have been enough to kill them.  
One of the wanderers was a little girl. She was surprised by that, but not as when she saw Ahri with her. The Vastaya guided her inside the forest. It was obvious that the girl had got lost and the woman was naively bringing her to her village.  
The frustration became a rage. Ahri was acting mindlessly with a human and was not capable of considering the risks again. She knew the area perfectly when she wanted to create her beauty swills, but she had no idea that a human settlement could be very dangerous.  
She sighed, desperate, and decided to follow her. She was ready to help Ahri if she would have ended in trouble. A surprise attack could give them some advantage, even if they were less than their enemies.  
She waited for Ahri and the little girl to move away a bit and then grabbed her basket. She followed their trail, jumping from a tree to another. She stopped just before she would have reached them, and then she did the same. But this time the little girl seemed to hear her and grabbed Ahri's robe.  
The Vastaya looked around suspicious and raised her sight to the top of the trees. She laid her yellow eyes exactly on her hideout, so she could directly look at them.  
She held her breathe, fearing Ahri had seen her. She hardened her muscles and tried not to move even a single leaf, begging the Vastaya to move on.  
The little girl moaned, and Ahri caressed her to calm her. When she heard the words " it is nothing" she felt her heart more light. But she had to change opinion. After the Vastaya asked the human to start walking, she turned on her direction again and moved her lips.  
« Do not move,» she said soundlessly.  
Her cold gaze brought her back to their encounter with the hunters. Like that time, she shivered and did not dare to disobey. Ahri had her in check for the second time and even without using brutal force.  
She feared her powers indeed. She had felt how strong they were and still did not know what her tribe was. And that did not help her to understand her true skills. Ahri did not seem someone easy to upset if she did not count the outbursts against herself. But if she looked at her in that way, she had to be careful. It could be a warning.  
Ahri and the little human girl walked away, and she stayed still, as requested. She did not know how much she waited, but the useless watches came up to her mind. She had to eat two fruits to calm the rage that filled her stomach.  
Finally, a movement on the undergrowth made her ears straightened. She looked down, and Ahri reached the tree where she was, alone.  
« You can come down. »  
She did not let her repeat it twice. With the basket in her hand, she jumped down near the Vastaya. She looked at her quickly. She felt relieved and confused, noticing Ahri was calm. She did not upset her, but she could not understand that strict order.  
« How did you know it was me? » she asked.  
She decided to start the conversation from another point for testing the water.  
« I have recognized the smell of the cream you use for your arm. It is quite intense, and I do not think that another Vastaya uses it. »  
Ahri had a sense of smell more fine than hers. She had finally discovered one of her skills. Maybe she could have guessed it from her foxy aspect, but she was more interested in her magical powers. Those seemed different, if not unique.  
« And why were you following me? »  
« You were guiding a human, and it could be dangerous. »  
Ahri sighed, making her even more confused. She had said nothing strange. It was a logical argument. She could not be so naive.  
« She was a child Xayah, what could she do to me? »  
She heard that as scolding and felt offended. She had more experience with humans than her and could surely know how much they were dangerous. She was not so stupid to get enchanted by a baby.  
« Maybe she was not dangerous, but her village yes. She could call her parents, or she can tell them to have seen you. And they could come looking for you with their hunters. Or... »  
« Are you telling me that I should have left her inside the forest alone? » Ahri asked, interrupting her.  
The words were stuck in her throat. She could not give her an affirmative answer. She knew what meant to be alone, helpless and without the dear one ready to protect her. She knew what meant to wander aimlessly, looking for help. She knew what that little girl had felt and hated to admit she understood her feelings.  
« Not all humans are bad. They could also be grateful. »  
She could not suppress an angry gaze toward Ahri. She still felt the wounds that humans had left on her, their happiness on making the others suffer, their action aimed only at a profit.  
« One I have tried to speak to humans and to thank me, they have tried to kidnap me for selling my feathers, » she replied crabby, throwing at her the incident that started her misfortune.  
Ahri did not open her mouth. She was surprised for that confession. She lowered her face and took off a bracelet made with little blue wooden balls.  
« Maybe you have met the wrong humans, » she whispered.  
« And how can you say that? »  
Ahri took her hand gently and put inside the bracelet, smiling a bit.  
« The little girl has given this to me, to say thank you for bringing her home. »  
The Vastaya did not add anything else and started to walk.  
She could just look at her, accompanied by the slow movement of her white tales.


	25. Chapter 25

[25] After what had happened, she had not spoken so much with Ahri. They had exchanged only small talks, or at least the women had forced her.  
Ahri's words were still stuck in her mind. They were like some noisy fruit fly that she was not able to cast out.  
And they were also annoying as small insects.  
She hated her faith in humans. It was a vain hope, one day they would have turned their back on her. But she did not want to highlight that problem. She did not want to fight again; in those days, she had to relax and concentrate before she would have entered the Temple of Whispers. She knew it would have happened if she had let the Vastaya continue on her arguments. They would have talked again about the little girl and her act of generosity. She could read that in Ahri's eyes, a pair of faint mirrors that looked at her with sadness. Once she devoted that gaze at her reflection in the water. At that moment, it was for her.  
She should have never risked with that sentence on her past. She gave the Vastaya a reason to pity her. Ahri could make another step toward her, a step too big for her expectations. She did not want to bond with her, not knowing she would have left the woman soon. And she did not know when she would have seen her again. She just wanted Ahri to remain the kind stranger that had saved her life, nothing more.  
And maybe that was the reason why she did not want to talk to her; she was not irritated, but she feared to reveal something more about herself. And so she would have increased their familiarity.  
As if she had summoned her, Ahri appeared in the lair with their couches, fast as a haunted animal.  
« Follow me! I have to show you something! »  
She heard with difficulty her words; soon, they were covered by the noise the Vastaya made. She was selecting some oils, making her realize her intentions. Ahri wanted to try again to put those sticky things on her head. She felt nausea just at the thought of it.  
She did not want to indulge her, not for something so lame. She preferred to look at the top of the cave until she would have fallen asleep.  
« Maybe another time,» she muttered, playing with her hair.  
« There will not be another time soon! Follow me, » Ahri answered before she went out of the lair.  
Her enthusiasm teased her attention. She was tempted to find out what the Vastaya wanted to show her. But her legs stood on that rocky corner, stopped by the fear that had followed her for days. She was not ready and maybe once she would have deceived herself, thinking that she would have been. But Ahri did not let her decide and came back to pick her up by force.  
« Come on, follow me! »  
She grabbed her left arm, forcing her to stand up and follow her. She did not resist, and she realized she did not want to do it. She let Ahri carry her until the second lair, the one with an underground lake. Her curiosity raised step by step until many bright spots enlightened her eyes. They were white fluffs, magical creatures that came out from the water and floated in the air. They shined, making the lake crystal clear and the lair bright. The environment was full of magic and filled with a positive aura. She felt her muscles relaxing, lulled by that pleasant feeling.  
She reached out, and one of the creatures leaned on it. It was warm and soft, full of energy. It seemed to smell her palm before it licked it with its rough tongue. It had unexpectedly come out from its fur.  
She withdrew her hand, surprised, and the creature went back to floating with its companions.  
« What are they? » she asked, amazed.  
Her problems seemed to be disappeared, canceled by the light that surrounded her. They had captured her sight. She was trying to look at them when they laid on the walls, when they flew or when they dived again in the water. She had not seen anything like that for a long time. It was a little wonder created by the magic heart of Ionia, another miracle that risked to be absorbed by the darkness.  
« I do not know, but they appear when there is a full moon. And after they disappear again under the water, » Ahri answered.  
She had never heard of such creatures. They had to be peculiar of that area. It was unbelievable that those being so full of magic lived near the Temple of Whispers. They withstood its contaminated air, as the vegetation around that place.  
She reached out to touch another of those fluffs, but the sound of a dip gained her attention. Ahri dived in the lake, forcing the creatures around her to move away. She surfaced and tried to remove the water from her hair and her tails. After, she turned her yellow eyes on her.  
« Come here! They will not hurt you, » she encouraged her.  
She admitted she was tempted. She had felt their warmness and their beneficial energy when she took one in her hand. It was an enjoyable sensation, capable of relaxing her muscles. Probably all the water was full of their magic, and she needed to calm her nerves.  
« But we could hurt them, » she said, worried.  
They were so tiny. One moment of distraction could be enough for her to squeeze one of them. She did not want to hurt some enchanted creatures because of a simple bath.  
« No, they are fast and keep their distance. »  
She decided to trust Ahri and slipped off her robe, diving carefully inside the lake. When she touched the rocky ground, she let herself sink, lulled by the warm water. Her body absorbed all the positive energy. Her muscles relaxed, relived after the labour of those days. Her mission became a distant concern while her mind emptied. Only quiet remained in her head. A quiet she had yearned because now she was finally isolated in a peaceful limbo.  
And everything ended when she felt the weight of the water on her wing, entirely underwater.  
She puffed and stood up, trying to shaking it. After, she would have done another dive. She liked the water, but it was almost impossible for her to swim. After a single bath, she had to remove the drops from her feathers. And this always took a lot of time.  
She let the energy of the creature flow in her body again. She closed her eyes, lulled by the warmth. But when she felt someone caressing her hair, she opened them. Ahri was trying to use some of her oils on her.  
« No, no and no. I' have already told you a hundred times! » she remembered her.  
« Please, try at least one time. You will see how much soft they will be... »  
« No. » she repeated.  
She tried to scratch her head underwater, hoping to take away that stuff. But when she surfaced, she got caught off guard. Ahri grabbed her waist with her arm while she covered her head with her oil.  
She tried to break free, but the energy inside the water had weakened her muscles. So, she decided to press her nails on Ahri's soft skin, but the Vastaya held her even tighter, blocking her against her body.  
« Damn you, let me go! » she protested.  
The Vastaya laughed in reply. A crystalline sound echoed inside the cave, again and again, until she let her free.  
She felt her hair sticky, greasy and with even more knots. She touched them and expressed with a frown her disgust.  
« Look on the bright side, after they are smooth as silk, » Ahri said, mocking her.  
Rage raised inside her and splashed the woman, wetting her hair and tales even more. The counter-attack was so fast that she was not even able to wash her hair.  
A squirt flooded her face, also entering inside her nostrils. She blew to free them, but they got irritated anyway. She shook her long ears when she heard that pleasant crystalline sound again.  
And only at that moment, she realized that Ahri was laughing.  
The melancholic Vastaya that always had a veil of sadness in her eyes was laughing for the first time. Her canine teeth almost shined under the light of the magical creatures, enlightening her face.  
As much as she was happy to see her serene, she could not allow Ahri to mock her in that way. So, she started their battle again. Splashes flew in the cave along with the creatures that were trying to avoid them. The calm lake became a stormy sea, place of a harsh fight. But it was followed by laughs and joyful sounds, that resonated with harmony in the air.  
There was not a winner; they both stopped when they were too tired to go on. She satisfied her limbs and sat on the edge, shaking the water away.  
Ahri reached her, lifting with some difficulty her wet tails. She took in her hands one of the small creatures. She caressed it, white it started to lick her. She was still smiling as if that childish fight had wholly changed her mood.  
Meanwhile, she touched her hair and witnessed with disappointment that they were still sticky.  
« How can you use this gross thing every time? » she asked.  
« It is just a question of habit and goodwill. »  
« Meh. I still wonder how did you invent this thing. »  
Ahri's eyes became sadder just for a moment, lost in their melancholy.  
She bit her lips, knowing she had ruined her happiness with her big mouth. She turned her sight on the water and her reflection, trying not to look at the Vastaya.  
She observed that skinny girl, with some messy wine hair. Her yellow eyes showed perfectly her thoughts.  
A hand reached her head and put a warm and soft creature on it.  
She opened wide her eyes and turned toward Ahri; she was smiling again and was also giving her a mocking glance.  
« Oh, look at you! You are so pretty! »  
The Vastaya stopped her last words in her throat. She was badly trying to hold a laugh.  
« Very funny... » she muttered.  
Ahri grabbed gently another creature and put it on her head.  
« What do you think? Am I beautiful too?»  
The Vastaya's face almost made her laugh. She emphasized too much a charmer pose, the one of a woman that wanted to seduce a man only with a few gestures. Adding also the little guest, it was only a comic impression.  
« Stop it, idiot. If you go on like this, they will get angry for real » she said, pushing her gently.  
« I think they got attached, » Ahri answered, putting her arm around her shoulder and pointing their reflections.  
She was right. The two creatures were still on their heads, immobile as if they were sleeping.  
« Idiots, » she whispered.  
She gently took the small being on her head and encouraged it to fly away. The fluff soared slowly followed by its companion before their lights blended in with the others.


	26. Chapter 26 Part 1

[26] She was hardly breathing, overwhelmed by emotions she had to feel. First, there was fear, fear of hitting a point of no return, where she could risk her own life.  
The Temple of Whispers was in front of her, and the entrance arch let her see the empty courtyard. She could hear only silence, like the last time, but the quiet was even more creepy in that moonless night. She knew that if she had crossed that threshold, she would have never come back and would have disappeared, like Zakai's gang.  
She was prepared for everything. She had to find her tribe, but at that moment, she was hesitating. The memories of the last experience blocked her. They pressed her, as the negativity caused by the darkness inside that place. The solution was over that phantom courtyard, in the dungeon of the temple. If she had run, she would have been quick. She could be stealthy enough not to wake the priests. Probably the last time the people behind her had made a mistake. If she had retraced her old steps, everything would have gone smoothly.  
But she was assuming the witch had not set a trap to her.  
She tried to not think about that possibility; if she had wanted to eliminate her, she would have done it the first time. To extend her suffering was just stupid.  
She turned to the forest to check she was alone. She had said nothing to Ahri. She had let her peacefully sleep while she was sneaking outside the cave. She had noticed that naming the temple had clouded her, and it was not wise to tell her she would have gone back inside that place.  
She would have tried to stop her or, even worse, to follow her.  
And she could not carry that weight on her shoulders. She could not put in danger the person that had saved her.  
She regretted to abandon her. She suffered, thinking that, the following day, the Vastaya would have found her couch empty. She would have looked for her, asked herself why she was gone and, in the end, blamed herself.  
She had to get out of the temple alive and came back even just to say hello for the last time. She owned that after all that time they had spent together.  
She breathed deeply and tried to calm her mind, to lightened it from her problems. She had to endure the dark aura and proceed.  
She turned again to the forest and then sprinted, hiding behind the building in the courtyard. There was still silence, and she could only hear the beating of her heart. Everything was like the last time.  
She continued until the end of the edifice. She did not notice any movement and so sneaked inside the temple. It was dark, anguished and silent; nothing had changed. She moved carefully, looking for the red eye that had greeted her in the past. But she saw only the pale and still light of the small lanterns._  
You are almost there, Vastaya._  
That voice echoed in her head and made her flinch. It was the witch. She would have never forgotten that young and sibylline voice. She would have preferred not to hear it surrounded by the darkness of the night.  
_Move forward to the __center__ of the room._  
She was helping her. She was waiting for her. She feared to fall in a trap, but she had no choice to rely on that dark creature. She prayed she had not been too naive.  
She moved the first steps, unsure. When the columns abandoned her, and the large atrium welcomed her, she ran toward the altar, recognizing it. The eye was not there, but the frozen censers were.  
The ground started to shake, and she saw it sink in front of her. She jumped before it went down too deep. And in a short time, she was again in front of the witch. The air seemed colder, wearing a warmer vest, that Ahri had stolen for her, had been useless.  
She went off the platform slowly and looked up, fearing that the priests would have appeared.  
« They will not come. Not yet. »  
She turned to the witch. She had lifted her face so that she could see her bloody red eye.  
« Not yet? » she asked, worried, releasing a small cloud of vapor.  
She tightened her arms around her body, trying to warm herself. The cold did not have to weaken her; the corruption of the temple was already disadvantaging her.  
« Come nearer; we have to talk, » the witch said, without giving her an answer.  
« What do you want from me? »  
She wanted some clarifications. The witch behavior was not only disturbing her but also confusing her. She was not able to understand her intentions, and she feared them. She was a dark creature, an entity aimed at destruction.  
« To help you. I have thought it was obvious since the last time. »  
She did not like her smile. It was not as warm as her father's, and it was not as reassuring as Tikkewha's. It was full of malice, cold and bereft of empathy.  
She swallowed and tightened her hand on her arms even more, as much she could felt her nails scratching her skin. She moved forward, step by step, carefully; she could still face a surprise attack.  
She stopped some centimeters away from the witch. She had not mutated her grin. It seemed it grew larger when she had approached, enlightening some fangs too long for a human being.  
« Why do you want to help me? » she asked.  
She shivered and did not understand if the cold or the proximity to that creature caused it. The witch's red eye was vibrating and was looking at her full of greed.  
She was not calm. She could not be if, every second that passed, she was more and more sure to be in Death's arms.  
« Because balance is the essence of Ionia. Light and darkness in the same place, two powerful magical sources that permeate this corner of our world. »  
She did not understand her words. They looked like the empty words of a maniac. She would have never convinced her if she had confused her. And neither if she had bent her to her will.  
« What do you call wild magic can not live without darkness, and darkness itself can not survive without feeding on the other. But if one prevails, the balance will be broken, and only chaos will reign. Creation and destruction, life and death, one next to the other... »  
« Be more clear, » she dared to say.  
The grim disappeared from the witch's face, and it became a cold mask. She feared she had hazarded too much. She was not able to stop her cursed tongue again.  
« Someone had decided to play with darkness, believing to play with a wooden sword. He wants to build a new empire, way too sure of his new powers. And to make them stronger, he has to absorb all the positive energy of Ionia, from his land and the people closest to it.»  
« Is someone trying to steal the magic from the Vastayas? » she asked, finally understanding her words.  
« Precisely, » the witch answered, smiling again.  
She did not know if she could trust her but was ready to hold on that small hope. She could not believe she had lost her tribe forever. She could finally hug her father again and apologize for her words and her naivety. She could see her friends again and take back her old life.  
But something did not sound right, and she could not give in so easily.  
« And why do you want to help me to free my tribe? You are also a dark creature. You should be happy that wild magic will disappear. »  
The witch laughed, and she remembered to be in front of a young girl with great power, too great for her weak limbs. With who she had decided to get involved?  
« Have you not followed my speech? Ionia needs balance, and it is my eternal vow to keep it. The fools that are trying to control darkness one day will be overpowered, and they will become only puppets on its hands. The more they will have, the more they will get addicted. And at that time, nothing will save this land. But you... you can help me to stop them if you care about the magic that flows in your veins. »  
Those words were perfect for deceiving her, but she was not so stupid to fall in her trap. But she could still pretend and get what she wanted.  
« Ok, but now tell me where is my tribe. »  
The room disappeared and everything became dark.  
She looked around, shaking. She instinctively reached out to her feathers, ready to face an attack. She had still fallen into a trap. She was a fool, thinking she could stand up to her. She felt some tears wetting her eyes and stopped them. She did not want to show a single weak spot.  
She moved a step back and heard some rocks crumbling. She turned and found herself on the top of a high cliff. From it, she could see a vast plan full of red trees.  
She did not understand how she had arrived there, but she was not able to find a solution. The surroundings changed more times and quickly, too much for distinguishing the details. She just spotted the desolation, the dry grounds and trees, all the things she had found in her village and around the Temple of Whispers. The witch was guiding her through the places infected by darkness; she was sure, that creature was creating those scenarios.  
But the last one was different from the others. It was not a dead forest. It was not a dry river. Darkness surrounded her again, but this time she was not alone. In front of her, there was a man, and his body was covered in armor. Even his face was hidden under a mask, but she would have never forgotten his eyes. They were red and vibrant, too similar to the one of the witch.


	27. Chapter 26 Part 2

The cave appeared again around her, and she realized that she had held her breathe for all the time.  
She took some deep breaths, still confused and shocked. She did not understand the reasons for that long and mind-numbing illusion.  
« You have to go; the priests will be here soon, » the witch said.  
Against every expectation, she felt angry and let it out, in front of that dark creature.  
« Are you kidding? I need an explanation, not some stupid images! » she complained.  
« I have shown you the path to your tribe. Unfortunately, your mind has not elaborated all the information yet, too weak to immediately embrace all my power. Now make it fast, or you will not see your tribe again. »  
She would have stayed there, ready even to shout to understand what she had to do. But the sound of a gong reached the cave, echoing in the walls. She realized her words were real. She had not much time left to go away and have to obey against her will.  
She bit a lip for rage and ran toward the platform before she jumped on it. Under her weight, it started to lift. She prepared herself for an attack, so she took two feathers from her wing.  
« One last advice... do not get too attached to that Vastaya. »  
She turned to the witch, surprised; she could not believe she knew about Ahri. But she was not able to see her for the last time. The cave disappeared from her sight, and the altar replaced it, surrounded by the flavor of the censers. She runs toward the exit. She reached the courtyard, but the sound of an arrow made her dodge. She turned and threw a feather to the archer appeared under the entrance of the temple.  
She hit her arm, but she did not seem to feel any pain or to notice the blood that was staining her pale skin.  
She was able to throw her second feather and broke her wooden bow before she nocked again.  
Neither that action moved her; her face remained inexpressive.  
She cursed that place and its priests. She turned to the entrance arch, but she had to stop. Three men were blocking her way, armed with guandao. And she had not heard them.  
They had appeared as shadows, taking her by surprise.  
She glanced at the walls and considered she could climb over it. She turned right, and the three men follower her. They were trying to stop her escape, caged her between them and the wooden wall.  
She quickly tore three feathers and threw them on the ground, in front of them, hoping they would have stopped for a second. Nothing of that happened, they stepped on them as soon they reached the ground.  
And she did not have enough time to jump.  
If her right arm had all of its strength, she would have made pressure with her hand and quickly climb to the top. At that moment, she had to hope to reach the border. And then she had just to push with her legs and would have been on the other side.  
The wall was not so high; she just needed a short run-up and a strong push to lose her chasers. But another arrow flew near her face, blocking her runaway. It was one moment, but it was enough for letting the priests trapping her.  
She turned with her heart beating fast. She did not have enough possibilities in that face-off, not with another enemy in the shadows.  
She grabbed two feathers, shaking. It was the final attempt before their guandao would have pounced on her body. She saw them lifting in the air and charge the blow that would have killed her. But it never reached her. Their cold blade did not touch her skin; they fell on the ground with a thud.  
Three blue flames were floating over the unconscious bodies of the priests. They were full of magical energy that she had already sensed once. They moved away from their victims, headed to the one that had created them.  
Ahri was not far from her with an expression hard to read. She could be angry, or she could be worried, but she did not care. The Vastaya was there and had probably saved her life.  
She would have run into her arms as a child looking for solace, but she remembered the menace in the shadows.  
She moved toward her so she could advise her of the danger, but Ahri's voice echoed in the courtyard.  
« Xayah, watch out! »  
She understood and turned, scared. She had miscalculated again; she had not thought that her enemy was on the right. The arrow had come from there. She was worried only about the priests with the guandao, and it was her ruin.  
She threw her feathers without aiming and was lucky; she hit her opponent eye, making her miss her shoot.  
She reached Ahri when the woman threw a magical ball to the archer. The priest fell on the ground, like her fellows, while the Vastaya recalled her energy.  
« Go! » Ahri shouted to her, pushing her outside the area of the temple.  
She glanced at the courtyard and noticed eight armed men. She could not abandon her.  
« They are too much. You can not...»  
She did not finish the sentence. Ahri grabbed her arm and dragged her into the forest. She was so quick that she hardly followed her steps.  
The woman had no intentions to attack them. Her plan had always been the escape, and she was so stupid to not realized it.  
She looked back, worried, but she discovered the priests stopped on the doorway of the Temple of Whispers. They did not dare to go outside. The branches soon covered them, disappearing from her sight.  
They went on running inside the forest, down the hillside and through the less traveled trails. She let Ahri guide her. She just wanted to distance that cursed place where she had risked twice her life.  
She would have never entered it. She swore it. She gained what she wanted and had no reason to see the witch and the priests again.  
Ahri finally stopped and let her go before she took a deep breath. She did the same and relaxed her limbs. The danger was over, but the memories were too fresh from suppressing the fear.  
« Have you gone insane? » shouted the Vastaya.  
She looked at her without saying a word. She was too confused from the events to give her an answer.  
« What the heck were you doing there? Breaking an arm was not enough? »  
She was mad. Neither her soft voice could sweeten the rage inside her words.  
« I do not... I... »  
Her voice died in her throat, sunken by all the thought in her mind. She had just realized how much her actions were dangerous. She was happy to have finally obtained a lead to her tribe. She was also asking herself how Ahri had found her. And she was also conscious that the Vastaya had been worried for her.  
Fear caused that outburst, fear that something terrible would have happened to her. It was the same as when her father scolded her for her stupid actions.  
She could not hold the sobs and the tears. They were not for her sense of guilt and not for naivety. They started because she knew that nobody would have behaved in such a way, nobody but a person that cared for her.  
The same person she would have abandoned for following her mission.  
Rage went away from Ahri's eyes, and she came near, reaching out to her.  
She moved back, trying to dry her tears. She could not let her comfort her. She did not want to be trapped inside feelings that would have made her suffer.  
« Can... can we go back to the cave? Please... »  
Ahri nodded, but she noticed the sadness in her eyes.


	28. Chapter 27

[27] She exited the cave soon in the morning, wandered and came back at sunset. And after she ate and laid on her couch, without saying a word. Ahri, for his part, did not try to start a conversation, but she could not raise her face in her presence.  
She did not count the days she behaved that way, but she remembered all her efforts to connect the images the witch had shown her. She was not even able to recall them clearly; they were like fragments that combined created a disassembled and senseless patchwork. The only two pictures she remembered well were the maple valley and the man with the red eyes.  
She considered that discover the identity of the mysterious figure was important. After all, the witch had said that someone was kidnapping Vastayas. She searched through her memories, from her childhood stories to the conversations she had during her journey. She could not dig deep; the tension with Ahri was pressing her. It was not only causing her nausea but also invading her mind.  
It was her main problem. She hated to see her sad and the idea she had caused that mood. Some apologies would have been enough, and she deserved them. But she was scared. She was suffering now, nut she would have suffered more when she would have left. And she did not want to give her hopes for a conciliation.  
She had to sever her relationship with Ahri and leave as soon as possible. It was the best thing to do. She would have been far and, after some time, she would have thought clearly.  
She decided to tell Ahri about her decision. She stood up from the couch and entered the main lair, where the Vastaya was washing some bowls.  
She swallowed and tried not to care about the pit in her stomach.  
« Hey... » she said.  
Ahri left her work immediately and turned toward her, surprised.  
She hesitated; she could not tell her she was leaving, not if the Vastaya was looking at her like a lost puppy.  
« I... in short, I wanted to tell you... » she muttered, incapable of finding the right words.  
« You do not need to explain. The important thing is that I arrived on time. »  
That sentence was like a punch that hit her unsettled stomach badly. She did not find a proper reply. She stood still, while Ahri took the bowls and passed by her.  
« I'm leaving, » she finally said, finding the courage.  
She heard the Vastaya stopping. She could only imagine her expression, but it still made her suffer. The guilt took over and made her remember Ahri saved her life twice. She was unfair to her. Even if she would have never seen her again, she owned her some explanations. She had to clarify she had a purpose, and it was not Ahri's fault.  
« Do not get me wrong. I have to do it. You have been kind, and you have helped me too much... »  
She turned and seeing the Vastaya teary was the final blow. Her wall fell, and everything she had held back came up like a river in flood.  
« Someone had kidnapped my tribe, and I have to save my people. I can not wait. I can not let... »  
« And you want to go alone? »  
The question and the disapproving tone stopped her from ending her explanation. She feared Ahri's reaction after her answer, as when she had to confess her mischief to her father.  
« I am alone. I had no other options. »  
She felt lighter after she said those words. She had held them back for too long, and that was a relief. She hoped Ahri would not have pitied her; pity was the last thing she could tolerate.  
The Vastaya took a deep breath and put down the bowls before she stood up.  
« All right, » Ahri whispered.  
She did not understand if she gave her consent to her departure, or she talked to herself.  
« I'll take you. »  
She was straight and strict. She would not have accepted a negative response.  
She would not have objected, breaking her solitude had been a mirage for too long. But she could not let her risk her life for a stranger.  
« No, are you gone mad? Well, I am happy that you want to come with me, but it is dangerous and... »  
While she was trying to organize her words, Ahri approached. She stopped and looked at her with a teasing smile.  
« But if without me, you would have become the prize of the priest. »  
Remembering they were so close to hurt her stopped her tongue. It was a terrible experience, and Ahri was right; without her help, she would have never said those apologies.  
« I made a mistake. I did not consider how much they were or if they were there... but how did you know I was there? » she asked, changing the subject.  
She needed some time to find the right words to dissuade her.  
« I have followed you, even more times. You know, a person usually does not spend half a day to gather only a basket of fruits. Or at least, not a person with all your energy. »  
She outsmarted her twice. She had not noticed her and had never thought Ahri could be suspicious about her behaviour. She was still too naive. She had to pull herself together or would have never face the captor of her tribe. She had to agree with the witch; her path would have been long and arduous.  
« What has brought you there? » Ahri asked, serious.  
She bit her lips, not sure to reveal it. She already told her too much, and other pieces would have only made her closer.  
But she gave up, considering the damage was done. Maybe that colud be the right words to dissuade her.  
« I had to speak to the witch inside the temple. She knew where my tribe was. »  
« You did... is there really something inside that place? »  
Ahri was quite surprised. She had never seen her eyes so wide open. Even if she had lived her for long, she had not come to know about the witch.  
She was privileged for having met her and getting out of it alive twice.  
« Yes she told me... in fact, she showed me what I have to do. I... my enemy is darkness and who is trying to tame it. »  
It was a terrible speech caused by a dry mouth and some chills. She miraculously reached the final point and hoped to scratch Ahri's stubbornness.  
But the Vastaya reflected, leaning her hand gracefully on her face. She understood it was all useless. « This story is not new, » Ahri said.  
« What do you mean? » she asked euphorically.  
She did not want the Vastaya to follow her. She did not want the Vastaya to face her dangers. But if she could help her to make order in the hints given by the witch, she would not have refused it.  
« I know there is a place called the Temple of Shadows, where the followers train themselves to control darkness under their leader, but... »  
« Where are they? »  
She did not let her finish the sentence. She was sure that was the right path. Her words had brought back a memory, a conversation she had with Zakai and that she had deleted along with the others. He also had spoken about a similar group and even at their leader.  
And she would have never forgotten how much the men eyes were similar to the witch's one.  
« You will find out if you follow me. I understand that you want to save your tribe, but alone you have no chance against them. »  
She had failed twice with the Temple of Whispers; she would have lied to herself saying she could face them. She was still weak, with an arm she could not stay off and too naive. She could wait and get better, or she could be faster with Ahri's help.  
The last was tempting; she would not have traveled alone and would have been covered. It was tempting, but it would have given her the weight of another life, the proper conclusion if she would have improved their relationship.  
And she had suffered enough when she had found herself alone in the forest. She did not want to relieve that pain, not when she had reached a glimmer of happiness.  
« I am a terrible partner, » she said, thinking about the silliest justifications.  
« You did not kill me in my sleep, and this is enough. »  
« I can not do teamwork. »  
« We can learn. »  
« You will live your hideout to some predators. »  
« It was temporary. »  
« Why do you want to follow me so much? » she shouted in the end.  
Ahri did not answer. She held her weakly and caressed her head. The scent of her oils inebriated her, lulling her along with the warmth of her body. It had been a while since someone had shown her some affection. She had forgotten it was a pleasant feeling, and she needed it.  
She decided to stay there, in her arms, and with her head resting on her chest. She heard her heartbeat before Ahri bent down a bit and approached to her ear.  
« Because I am alone too. » 


	29. Chapter 28

[28] She was walking again on those wooden ways, created by the branches. But that time, she was not going back. Her destination was in front of her, at an unknown point of Ionia. She would have never seen the cave that had hidden her for too long again. She was free to wander, surrounded by nature.  
She was not alone and had not decided how to face Ahri's presence. She was a help, a huge help, but she could not predict how their alliance would have ended. She could trust her, despite her strange behaviours, and she was even more sure the Vastaya could bring her to her tribe.  
But maybe she did not want that; her bound was too weak and easy to break. And she did not want her heart to crack again.  
She sighed and silenced her thoughts; she had to focus on her mission. She would have gone back on them later. At that moment, she had to figure out where she had to go.  
« Did you say " a big maple forest"? » Ahri asked, jumping on a further branch.  
She had informed her about the visions given by the witch. She had explained that the only image she remembered could be their first objective, the first piece to get to the last one, the masked man.  
« Yes. Is it familiar? » she answered, reaching Ahri.  
She landed carefully because of the bag she had to carry. The Vastaya had left the cave, but not her belongings. And because hers were only two stolen dresses and some medical cream, she had decided to take also the bowls. But they were made of pottery, and they could easily crack with the wrong jump. « I think so... do you have more details? »  
« A cliff. I saw the scene from a high point, quite high. The maple looked like piles of red leaves. »  
Ahri snapped her fingers as if something came up to her mind.  
« Those cultists of the Temple of Shadows are looking for magical sources, right? »  
She nodded, hoping that the Vastaya had recognized the place.  
« I think I know where we should go. There is an old temple over a maple plain, but it is quite North, in the vicinity of... »  
Ahri turned and pointed a direction, but she lowered the arm, disconsolate.  
She did not understand her change of mood and hoped she had not mistaken. Ahri was not only more powerful than her, but she also knew Ionia better. Maybe she had wandered for decades. She relied entirely on her knowledge and feared the Vastaya could miss that hint.  
« Curse it! I've spent too much time inside that cave. I need a map. »  
« A map? » she asked, confused.  
« Yes, humans use them to orient. I always had the bad habit not to memorize the energy flows or the layout of the trees outside the area that interested me. We have to rely on a map. »  
« We could ask other Vastayas for information, » she said.  
She did not want to get in touch with humans to obtain one of their objects.  
She would have used her orientation abilities if she had been once in that place. But when she left her village, she went only South, leaving apart the North.  
« Yes, but if they do not know that place, we will only waste time going from a village to another. »  
It was a plus point for her idea, and she did not want to delay her mission again. She had to bear contact with humans, but it would have been for a shorter time than with Zakai's gang.  
« Ok, from where do we steal it? »  
Ahri smirked.  
She had not known her for long, but she guessed nothing would have come from that. 


	30. Chapter 29

[29] She was angry and annoyed, more the second than the first one. And only for that reason she had not bitten Ahri yet. She had to wander inside a human city, but it was not a small village inside the forest. It was an agglomeration of battered wooden houses that tightened some streets full of people and mud.  
The smell was nauseating. It was a mixture of manure, smog and sweat, along with the fresh scent of damp earth.  
She hoped they would have arrived soon to their object; she was tempted to make her way getting rid of some rude walkers, prone to push her. But she had promised Ahri to stay calm, or she would have ruined everything; two Vastayas inside a city would have been a source of richness for who would have taken advantage of that.  
She had decided to follow her only to protect and protect her if something would have gone wrong. Up to that moment, the crowd had ignored them, bowed with dark and sad faces. A few stopped at the miserable stands, where the merchants tried to sell some battered vegetables. Only they looked at them with too much curiosity; they were a source of income way better than their lean goods.  
Some dirty children with filthy clothes were looking at those stands famished. The quality of the food would not have stopped them from stealing it. They had not done that yet because of some man. They wore a light and black armour and an oval helmet. On their belt, they had a long curved sword, while they held a long spear that they sometimes used to move the crowd.  
They might be some guardians assigned to security. She had seen how they looked at the environment and how they were suspicious when they noticed her.  
« Curse it! It was a terrible idea. I thought I got used to this! » Ahri mumbled.  
« I've told you we should have stolen it from a village, » she said, careful to not lose her because a walker cut her off.  
« No, the villages do not have maps, they do not need them. But we would have stolen it from a merchant if we had met one on our way. Or maybe in a temple... no, temples are well defended. »  
She let her babble; she had talked in circles since they had entered the town. Ahri was nervous. After so much spent inside a cave, jumping inside the jaws of a community might worry her. It was a rash move, and she would have remembered it to the Vastaya if she had another brilliant idea.  
She raised her face, looking at those narrow houses supported by stilts. Sometimes a woman appeared and poured water on the street, sometimes some elders smoking a long pipe, sometimes some women that dried clothes and chatted loudly with the neighbours. Their faces looked drawn, their clothes were rough, and their eyes looked tired.  
Some high-pitched voices gained her attention. She noticed some girls with colourful dresses leaned from a balcony. They were calling someone in the crowd.  
Under there were some young/ They looked up at them and smiled, and sometimes answered back.  
Other girls were after some of them near the entrance. They had the same colourful dresses and the same vermillion lips, but a detail stopped her. Among the girls, there was one with long drooping ears covered by beige fur, as part of her face and her small snub nose. A long furry tail came out under her dress. She was always moving it, careful not to touch the ground.  
She was chatting with a young boy until her dark eyes met hers. Her smile disappeared from her face before she lowered her head. Shortly after the young boy that was talking with her turned her head.  
She looked away and moved on, trying to reach Ahri. She did not know if she should felt sorry or disgusted for that Vastaya. That city was rotten to its foundations eaten by woodworms; she could not expect more from a human town that big. It was far from the forest, isolated from magical flows. There was only the void and the corruption that engulfed everyone who stepped inside. Even one of her kind, maybe too weak to resist.  
She had heard rumours about some new human settlements and their technologies were infecting Ionia, but she thought they were only fantasies. Even if they could not use the magic of their land entirely, she had only seen villages in symbiosis with the environment. But at that moment she realized that was not one of their bright sides; if they could enlarge, they would have done that without any problem.  
Other voices reached her, but they were more harsh and manly. She glanced and located the source. The supposed guardians were rudely asking the presents to move at the sides of the street, blocking them with the spears.  
She understood the situation and tried to stay next to Ahri, but one man dived them, and they found themselves on opposite sides of the street. She ended up between two men, one stocky and the other slim, with the face marked by the first wrinkles. She hated, even more, her travelling companion and let her look for her, as revenge. When the Vastaya became quite worried, she raised her hand.  
Ahri saw her and sighed with relief, but she was not completely relaxed. Maybe she was worried they would not have been able to protect each other because of their distance.  
The guardians were still shouting to make way, and she noticed some more massive steps sharpening her hearing. She did not understand what was happening and hoped that everything would have ended soon.  
« It is hard to see two Vastayas here in Kashuri after the war. What has brought you here? »  
The slim man had spoken, increasing her irritation. She was not in the mood for a conversation, especially with a human.  
« It looks like you are just passing by, and this is even more unusual. »  
She did not answer and held back her instinct. She had already drawn his attention. If she had attacked him, she would have all the eyes on her. But she could hit him with an elbow if he had gone on with the conversation.  
« Do not try to speak to them. They are so stubborn and proud that they will never answer. My cousin even gained a scratch on his face, » the stocky man said.  
She could not hold her tongue, not after a poorly hidden affront. The words came out spontaneously. « Maybe he deserved that, » she hissed, while the steps became closer.  
« Uh, so you have a tongue, » the man poked her, leaning so he could stare in her eyes.  
« Back we said, are you deaf?! »  
An armoured man stopped him and pushed him back with the spear.  
She could not answer with the rough stuff, that was the confirmation. The guardians were quick in taking action, and she had to endure those rude comments.  
The stocky man grunted, and the slim one decided to talk again.  
« I just wanted to be kind and warned you. »  
She looked at him suspiciously; why would he warn her about danger?  
The man fell silent and turned. Some man wearing thick and coated armours marched in front of them. Their weapons were more refined; they had some spears so lucent that shined when the weak sun rays laid on them. The swords were kept inside some sheath, and only the bronze handle was visible, decorated with a beast head. On the top, they had a red panache that swung at every step.  
Disturbing masks covered their faces, placed under the helmet.  
After they a palanquin came, carried by two stocky servants, maybe better dressed than most of the population. It was red and made with lacquered wood. It had only a small latticed window, and between its gaps, she could see the figure of a man.  
« That is the governor of our region, and it is not unusual to see him here, checking his beloved forges. »  
She did not understand the last word until she saw the guards that followed the palanquin. They did not wear armours but tight brown robes and a belt filled with strange metal objects. Even their weapons were not conventional; they were long and big canes that ended with a handle.  
She had already seen them; a member of Zakai's gang had one, but it was smaller. They were dangerous, even more than a crossbow or a sharp blade. They could bring more destruction, their range combined with their power could be lethal. She was not surprised that such a city manufactured them and that humans had invented them.  
When the guard turned their back on them, the stocky man spat.  
« A coward. First, he had sold us to Noxus and then, when Ionia won back some territories, he allied with them and gave them the new weapons stolen from the enemies, » he whispered.  
She had a feeling of disgust. Her people would have processed a person like him. A traitor would have never fought alongside his old fellows. Maybe the capacity of those firearms had attracted them. They had sold their pride for power.  
« Rumors say that he has even released the Golden Demon to gain more power, a maniac that... »  
« I suggest you hold your tongue. I do not think you would keep company to the ones loyal to Noxus on the gallows, » the slim man said.  
The other did not answer and grunted before he disappeared in the crowd. Ahri reached her, looking worried at the marching guards.  
« As I was saying before, be careful with the governor in the area. »  
« What do you mean? » her companion asked.  
She was sure she would have replied. She was more tolerant than her with humans.  
The man smiled spontaneously and without a trace of malice.  
« The city guards would be more vigilant, and it would be possible to see even his guards patrol the city. I suggest you not to do rush actions, sadly Vastayas have a terrible reputation. Now I let you move on. » he concluded before he turned.  
« Wait », Ahri said, stopping him, « Could you tell us where we can find a store? »  
« You have to go straight, and you will find a square. There you will see it. I wish you a good day. »  
He took live with a small bow before leaving them alone.  
Even if she had criticized Ahri, her empathy for humans brought them something positive: a location and interesting advice.  
« What do we do now? » the Vastaya asked.  
She knew they had to change

their plans.  
« I think we have no other options. We have to buy that map. » 


	31. Chapter 30

[30] A store with a painted sign was in front of them. It was an unremarkable building, as many in that city. Ahri, thanks to her experience, had learnt to read the human language, and only for that, they were able to find it. The alternative would have been entering every house in the square, going through a thick crowd. I was standing still, looking at a theatrical performance. The yelling of the actors was more annoying than the cheers of the audience, so loud to reach more person ad possible. « Ok, shall we enter? » she asked, looking at the sign.  
« Wait, we should consider how to defend ourselves or escape if they will try to... »  
She showed Ahri two feathers, devoid of her magical power.  
« Do you know that throwing feathers is not always the solution? » the Vastaya said, with a bit of irony.  
« No, but if I kill them stopping them from screaming, we can escape from the backdoor and run away quickly from this city. »  
Ahri lowered her head and looked at her, confused.  
« And if they do not have a backdoor? »  
« You create that with your magic. »  
The Vastaya was more convinced, but her yellow eye still had a veil of scepticism.  
« It could work... » Ahri concluded before she reached the entrance and opened the door.  
She followed her silently, looking around wary. The crowd was utterly absorbed in the performance; only a few people noticed them before looking away. They would not have latent enemies or profiteers on their backs. She could concentrate solely on who they would have found inside.  
As they passed, some iron bells clinked on the door, as when she closed it.  
The stink of the outside became a strong stuffy and humidity smell, discernible even under the incense. The store was quite small, a medium room filled with as many shelves it could contain. It was claustrophobic, not ideal for concentrating.  
She looked at the merchandise; a jumble of ceramics and votive statues was on her left, while on the right there were pins, earrings and bracelets.  
The reached a wooden counter. A fat man welcomed them, and his ocean blue garments were quite refined.  
« Good morning, how may I... »  
When he saw them, his smile disappeared from his face. And if she was not wrong, he swallowed, worried.  
They have fear on their side; they would not have problems obtaining what they wanted.  
She let Ahri moving forward. She could handle a conversation better than her; she had already proved that.  
« Good morning... is this the store near the square? » the Vastaya asked, going slowly to the counter.  
She feared she had lied to her. She thought Ahri had translated the human signs correctly, and the merchandise confirmed her theory.  
« Yes, do yo... do you need something? »  
She was sure a severe and threatening question would have been more effective. But Ahri leaned on the table and played with her hair; she had chosen a much longer path.  
« My sister and I are looking for our family. You know... Noxus has also damaged our villages, and we had to part from our parents. »  
She rolled her eyes and decided to look at the merchandise. She recognized the tone of her voice; she had used it with the hunters. The conversation would not have ended soon.  
She accepted her strategy only because they needed a low profile. In another occasion, she would have used strength with such a scared man.  
« Oh, I am sorry... Noxus did nothing but damage. »  
« Yes... the memory of its brutal warrior and their bloodshot eye still gives me the shivers. Even the wild beats are less ferocious, » Ahri continued.  
Some small pool made with black rocks gained her attention, decorated with shed inlays. They were full of water, that moved down from the first to the last. It did not pour out in the end and did not run dry in the beginning, as it was magical.  
« And if it was only Noxus! Now that the enemy has left, the factions of the alliance have decided to fight each other. And who is losing out? We are. Do you see all this merchandise? »  
She raised her head and, in the pool near the corner, she saw some fishes that were swimming lazily, reflecting their colours on the black border.  
« I have no idea who wants to buy it anymore! The clients are cut to the bone. Nobody wants to spend money on luxury goods, » the merchant said.  
« What a terrible situation... but it is a pity, your jewelry is lovely. »  
« Do you think that? »  
« Oh yes, and if I still had all the money from my family, I would buy it. »  
She had not a hallucination. The belly of the fishes was shining. It was a white and warm point between a lot of colours, from cyan to purple. Sometimes they had also some pink shades.  
She reached a finger to touch their scales gently. If she was not wrong, the fishes should also be warm.  
« Hey you, do not touch them! They are not for sale! »  
She turned at the rude call of the merchant and could not keep an evil glance. Those creatures should have swum freely in the Nothern lakes, not tighten inside a small pool in a small shop.  
She would have said those words, but Ahri pointed out to not talk, putting a finger on her mouth.  
She bit her lips and, after a deep breath, she lied.  
« I was just curious... » she whispered, hoping to sound guilty.  
« So watch but do not touch. Where were we? »  
The eyes of the merchant shined. He was interested, but she did not know if it was for the smell of money or the neckline of Ahri's dress.  
He was another disgusting being, like all the other humans. At that moment, she wanted to threaten him for their stupid map even more.  
« My family. You know, in the North, we Vastayas are more open and often get in touch with humans. We like to offer our abilities, in exchange for money, of course. My family for three generations has been involved in dyeing with natural products. You should see what colourful garments we produce! »  
She tried to concentrate on the hypnotic movements of the fishes. She did not want to hear those heresies. Even if she did not appreciate the approach, she had gained the attention of the man. Maybe with some other lies, she would have tricked him completely.  
« North? » the merchant asked perplexed.  
« Yes. Our tribe lives near the Placidium of Navori. The invasion came so quickly that we did not have time the time to fight back. Luckily our father usually hid his goods in a secret place. But it is accessible only to Vastaya; he did not trust humans. »  
« So, if I help you, you will be grateful. »  
« Extremely grateful! »  
« And so, what do you need? »  
She sighed, relieved; finally, they were at the crux of the matter.  
« A map of Ionia, and also some capes. Before the rain caught us unprepared. »  
She looked at Ahri perplexed. She had added something more, and she hoped she had not dared too much.  
That man was an idiot for believing to all those lies, but he would have never given them his goods for free.  
« And may I have an advance of this... gratitude? »  
His face shown a precise intention, and his eyes became more languid when Ahri smiled at him.  
She reached her shoulder bag gracefully and took out two golden bracelets.  
The merchant seemed disappointed, but his interest raised again when she grabbed the objects.  
« Those are some of our few left goods. I know it is not much, but the war parted us from the rest, »  
Ahri emphasized the last words, and the merchant smiled again.  
« I'm going to get the map; I keep them in the storeroom. »  
When the man disappeared behind a rice paper door, she approached the Vastaya. She was relieved that torture ended.  
« Do you have nothing to say? » Ahri asked with irony.  
« I do not want him to hear me. »  
« But you have to say that I did a great job. » she continued, playing with her hair.  
« After we would have that stupid map in our hands. »


	32. Chapter 31

[31] The rain fell inside from a hole in the roof, reaching the ground with a clunk. The humidity had raised and permeated the air, accentuating the smell of mould.  
They put a beam under the residual roof, so they would not have to sit on the mud. The bad weather had caught them suddenly when they were far from the forest. The city was in an isolated plain, and the only shelter would have been some large leaves, scattered around some overgrown rice fields. But once they would have been full of water, they could have poured it out on them. Luckily, they had found that abandoned house, battered but enough for their needs.  
She had accepted to wait until the rain would have stopped. She could rest after the march that brought them there and calm her nerves after that terrible day. She would have been happier if Ahri had not dumped her immediately, looking for some richer food than the berries; they had a long trip ahead of them.  
So she had to understand alone that map, unaware where was the maple valley and unable to read the human language. She did not know the right direction too. She had turned it many times and, in the end, she had given up and started to clean her feathers, mostly the ones covered in mud.  
She still could not believe she had spent an entire day between humans, inside one of their big cities.  
And after what she had seen, she would have never done that again.  
She still smelled the stink of the streets and heard the noises of the crowd. She had not thought she was waking between living beings but between an indistinct mass, so tired that it walked hardly on its feet. And the richest proceeded blind, not caring about the suffering of the other persons.  
Fratricidal wars, oppression, disregard for their comrades, everything that her father told her was becoming truth. And she had been so stupid not to believe him.  
Ahri went back inside the shack, wrapped in the cape given by the merchant. She came near, stepping on the small puddles created by the rain. When the roof finally covered her, she lowered the hood.  
« I did not miss those showers, » she said, putting down on the beam three wooden boxes.  
She mentally thanked Ahri; she came just in time. Thinking about her father made her sad, and she did not want other bad moods.  
« Where did you found them? » she asked, pointing at the boxes with her head.  
« I had to go until the forges in the outskirts. I think they were the lunch of some blacksmiths, » Ahri answered, squeezing the cape.  
« And they did not notice that a Vastaya went inside? » she asked suspiciously.  
She did not know how those " forges" looked like, but if they had made weapons inside, the workers would have been many. And a woman with nine white tales would have stuck out.  
« No... they keep the goods far from the workplace. They were all at work. »  
Ahri had hesitated, not only in the voice but also when she put the cape on the beam. She hoped it was not a lie. She did not want a crowd of angry workers around their temporary shelter. She had learnt how much miscalculating the plans could be fatal. She had to rely on Ahri's experience and hope she was more conscientious.  
She took the boxes and put them on her knees, while the Vastaya tried to sit comfortably. Her tails impeded her, counting she did not want to dirty them.  
She opened the box. The smell of the rice, mixed with spices and vegetables, reached her nose. It was like finding the most fragrant flower in a green field; it was the first pleasant smell she felt that day.  
She did not make hunger wait and ate immediately, swallowing morsels of rice and vegetables.  
« Is one for tomorrow? » she asked.  
« Yes, maybe we... share it... »  
Ahri seemed very clumsy, and after some efforts, she was able to bring her tails in front of her, holding them with one hand.  
She kept a laugh poorly when she gave the Vastaya her box, but she noticed it.  
« Oh, I would see if you laughed in my situation, » she said, taking the box.  
« I would have let them dirty. When this rain is over, I will dive in the first river that I see. »  
Ahri winced disgusted before she started to eat.  
« Before I forget... where should we go? » she asked, eating another bite and opening the map.  
Ahri, as expected, turned it in the right direction and studied it. She looked with her yellow eyes the biggest island, moving them on the left. She stopped and pointed an islet at North-East, where there was not a single name of a city.  
« Here, in Quelin. It may be in the South. If I am not wrong, in the North there are only rocky mountains and no valleys, at least not maple valleys. »  
« And where are we? » she asked, trying to understand their path.  
Ahri moved her finger on the biggest island in the South. She stopped on a valley with a river, where there was a circle with an inscription.  
« Here, in Kashuri. »  
She did not like the idea to cross the sea again. The first time she had risked to throw up even her entrails. She did not want to make that experience again, at least not inside a hold.  
An idea came up in her mind and looked at all the map of Ionia. She had an approximate idea of her land. When she had left her village, her instinct guided her, and she had hoped to find pieces of information along the road.  
At that moment, she had all Ionia in front of her. It was a land surrounded by the sea and divided into many islands, where on green valleys raised high mountains.  
It was an approximate picture. Even if she tried to remember the surroundings of her village, she could not associate them with those lines. She had to rely on her journey, but she had no idea what direction she had taken. She had memorized the magical flows to go back home, but she could not use them to localize a point in that map.  
« Disappointed? » Ahri asked.  
« No, I was just trying to understand where are the lands of my tribe. »  
« Are not you nomads? » the Vastaya asked, surprised.  
« No, absolutely not. At least not my tribe... I have heard there is a southern Lhotlan tribe that sends its envoys around Iona, but my father was always against it. »  
Ahri's question made her think. She had noticed she knew a lot of things about their land. She was even able to trick the merchant, but her knowledge was too much.  
She had to consider she did not know Ahri's tribe or her age. And the last consideration arose doubts.  
« Sorry but... how do you know so many things? Before you have named a Plassio of Na-something, you know where the maple valley is, and you know the Order that has kidnapped my tribe. In short, I have wandered for months, and I have found out there had been a war by chance. »  
For a moment, she saw fear on Ahri's face. Her yellow eyes trebled, and her breathing stopped for a second.  
She smiled. She had guessed well, and probably the Vastaya did not like the idea of not being so young anymore.  
« Are you telling me I am travelling with a granny? » she asked ironically.  
« Wha... what? » Ahri said, not confused anymore.  
« Someone has more than one hundred years and do not want to admit it. »  
The Vastaya frowned, hurt in the pride.  
« I give you my help, I bring you a decent meal, and you thank me by saying I am a granny? Kid, you have to show more respect to the elders. » Ahri said, messing with her hair.  
« Old! » she went to, laughing and trying to free herself from those impetuous pats.  
A sudden jolt made almost Ahri's box fall. She grabbed it in time, withdrawing her hand.  
Not caring about the scolding glance, she continued laughing, hiding her mouth. She did not expect something different from the Vastaya. She took great care of her body and still looked young; it was obvious she did not want to tell her real age.  
« When you are old as me, I hope you will find a sassy young girl that will treat you in the same way. » Ahri said before she started to eat.  
She was not upset. She just continued playing the game she started.  
It had been a long time since she had a window of lightheartedness like that. She had even thought nothing would have lifted her but finding her tribe.  
And at that moment she was mocking Ahri like a naughty child.  
Maybe the fact she was accompanying her was not that bad. 


	33. Chapter 32

[32] The air was full of tension. The blood was boiling, and her breath was heavier and heavier. Her senses were trying to warn her; there was a distortion interfering with the harmony of the magical flows.  
She knew well those sensations; she was able to recognize easily areas corrupted by darkness by then. She felt its closeness; their objective was finally near.  
She had endured walks under the rain, perpetual companion in the new season, and sea crossing. Nothing would have ever stopped her from reaching the place that the witch had sown her.  
On their trail, she and Ahri had tried to come up with a strategy but had obtained only meagre conclusions. Neither her companion had a precise idea of the place they had to free. Some sea Vastaya had helped them, not only in crossing the strait but also telling them about a holy site in that valley, hidden behind a waterfall.  
So they had considered the place would be enclosed and probably dark. It was not a favourable situation if they would have met some enemies; the obscurity around them would have been useful to them.  
They could only wait for the lair to be empty, and Ahri would be the first to go to scout the area. She was the strongest between them, and it was easier for her to escape before she could cover her.  
A maple leaf fell slowly from a tree. She followed it with her eyes before she turned to the almost dry lake in front of them. The fishes were desperately trying to swim and survive, compacted in that small pool. The big water plants were bent and rotten, deprived of their nourishment.  
The reason for such spoilage was noticeable. The waterfall that caved the cliff was not there. The dark energy might drain it.  
A narrow canyon was exposed. On it, some stairs were roughly craved. They served only for ease the climb.  
It was the path to the holy site, the last stretch of road.  
« It is better if I go to check. If we have to move, it is better on the daylight. Or at least I hope so. »  
Ahri was scared, and it was apparent; she also had no idea about the skills of their enemies. She knew who they were, what they believed, but did not know the secrets of their powers. She was going to take a leap in the dark and only for helping a stranger she had found half-dead in the forest. She bit her lips, nervous. She felt guilty. She dragged with her on a dangerous mission someone she knew little. And she also had a double life-debt with her. She had to impose herself and let Ahri spent the rest of her life safe. That would be a sign of gratitude, not take her with her.  
Her company lulled her too much; she had not seen the real risks until then.  
That was her battle, and the destiny of her tribe was at stake. Ahri was only a stranger and joined her for pity. Those were not issues that concerned her.  
« You can still leave. I do not force you to follow me, » she said, freeing herself from the weight she was carrying.  
Ahri looked at her surprised before she sighed.  
« I will be back soon, do not move. »  
She could not even open her mouth; she was already over the banks of the small lake, sprinting inside the canyon.  
She punched the tree behind which she was hiding. She was not able to stop her or to reason with her. She understood Ahri wanted some company too and cared about her safety, but she was risking too much.  
She could even not convinced herself that the Vastaya was trying to save Ionia; she had never said that and did not seem too interested in the wild magic. She mastered it well, and it flew inside her more than into another Vastaya she had ever known. And it was also the one who took it less into account.  
Ahri was stubborn and wanted to protect her. And she feared that her stubbornness could cost her life.  
She would have never forgiven herself if something happened to her. But she was powerless even in front of that drivel. Ahri had everything to oppose: strength, adulthood and a life debt she had to pay back.  
The Vastaya get out from the canyon. She sighed relieved; the woman had kept her promise and did not leave her on the ropes for too long.  
She approached Ahri and read a strange expression on her face as if she was not able to judge the situation inside the cave.  
« So? » she asked.  
« We could do it, but we have to think well about how we should move. »  
« What do you mean? »  
She felt stupid. She wanted to defeat an Order that controlled darkness but was not able to convince someone to renounce a foolish mission. She was forced to accept her help; alone, she would not go too far.  
« The cave is not totally dark. There is a hole on the top that let some light inside. But two adepts are guarding the place. »  
The situation was in their favour, maybe too much.  
She could not believe that her first mission was so easy.  
« Only two? » she asked to be sure.  
« Yes, but I have no idea of what they can do. »  
« How much big is the cave? »  
« Enough, both us and they can move easily. »  
That could be a disadvantage. They had to move quickly without creating chances for a counter-attack.  
« We have to eliminate them at once, one for me and one for you,» she said.  
« So do you want to try it? » Ahri asked.  
She nodded. She was already sure when she said the adepts were two. If they had waited, they would have gone away, or others would have come.  
And she did not want to waste other time.  
« All right... but I go first, you stay on the back. » 


	34. Chapter 33

[33] She felt void inside her gut now that she was at the entrance of the cave. And that void dominated all the place, along with an annoying silence. It was empty; there were only bare walls infected by the first ramifications of darkness. Nothing would have made her believe once it had been a holy place for Vastayas. The only hint was a small altar made with stones in the middle, decorated with old sharp and geometrical symbols.  
The purple crystal over it, nested as an invasive plant, caused that desolation. She had found an identical one near her village, and only after she had destroyed it, magic had come back in those lands.  
Two men in black dresses and with the face covered with an unremarkable mask guarded the altar, standing like statues. They seemed to be alone; if they were quick enough, they would settle the matter in a short time.  
Ahri turned, and she nodded; that was the signal to advance.  
The Vastaya sprinted inside the cave. She created an azure sphere and threw it against the man on her left.  
She followed her immediately, but the fraction of a second was enough, and the adept noticed the danger.  
He drew a short sword and tried to attach Ahri, but she stopped him with a feather, hitting him on a hip.  
She did not kill him and only stopped his run, but her partner finished the job, calling back the sphere and hit the wounded enemy with it.  
He fell lifeless, dropping his sword that clinked when it touched the ground.  
She ripped other two feathers to be sure and approached the altar, looking around gingerly. It seemed that they were the only left; only silence made them company.  
Maybe it made sense there were only two guards; if they had faced a powerful enemy, she would have felt the same bad sensations as in the Temple of Whispers. And that cave gave her the same chills as a cold day.  
« It seems too simple, » Ahri says, looking around with her yellow eyes.  
« So we destroy that thing and go away right away. Maybe they were waiting for reinforcements. »  
They thought the same things; it was weird that a well-organized order defended itself worse than a thug gang.  
They made few steps, and something moved in the darkness around the walls. A human figure came out, high and massive, and with his hidden by a large straw hat. The veins on his arms were impregnated with corruption, vibrant and alive. He moved forward with long steps, dragging a huge Lang Ya Bang and lining the ground with four of its spikes.  
He looked like one of the giants from the legends her father told her, or like one of the monsters her childhood heroes had to face to save their people. Once she was ready to emulate their deeds, but, at that moment, she knew they were only beautiful illusions. Fear had blocked her, and this had never happened to Vihtori.  
But Ahri did not wait and created her sphere again, throwing it at that creature's arm.  
The man suffered the blow, but he did not drop his weapon.  
« Curse it... » the Vastaya hissed while some blue flames came out form the sphere « Xayah, destroy the crystal! »  
Her call brought her back to reality. In the meantime, Ahri had attacked the giant again, gaining his attention.  
She took too long to process the message, and she took too long to move the first uncertain steps. She heard the sound of a sword behind her and swerved in time, jumping right.  
The adept that Ahri had put down was standing up, panting. He could be just an annoyance, but he jumped back and covered himself with a black and purple aura. It covered his body like a second skin and also his sword, that got longer and sharper.  
In a moment, he jumped over her, and she could only swerve his attacks. He was too near, and her feathers had not enough range to hurt him.  
Her body began to strain; his too rapid blows were exhausting her. That dark power had given him new strength, probably not without a price. She could wait for darkness to devour him, but his fellows did not give her that luxury.  
She felt the presence of the Lang Ya Bang over her. She knew the blow was going to hit her, but she could not avoid it, not if there were a sword always trying to cut her skin.  
She could only risk and hope luck would help her.  
She decided to avoid the pointed weapon, but when she swerved, the other adept hit her, cutting through her hip.  
She bit her lips to endure pain and tried to stay up, but the shock wave was too near and made her fall.  
Ahri intervened and hit the man with the sword. She was able to push him away so that he could not hurt her. She tried to come near to help her, but the giant anticipated her. He hit her with his free arm and hurled her at the altar.  
She tried to hold a scream, seeing her body hit the stone and not move again. The panic rose, not for herself, but for that woman that lied on the ground because of her. She could not believe that someone else was suffering because of her mistakes. She could not tolerate that she had put her in that condition.  
Her mind was focused on her inert figure, immobile in the same sweetness that caressed her when she was sleeping. Her eyes were moist. The sense of guilt was tightening her like a snake, and her breathing was becoming a sob.  
A sinister noise warned her instinct. She raised her face and saw the giant charging another blow.  
She had no idea how to face him. The wound started to pulse, fear blocked her, guilt strangled her; everything kept her from focus, and she could not fill her feathers with magical energy.  
But she could use the residues. It was a sudden idea and dictated by desperation, but it was always a handhold.  
She turned to the body of the second adept and recalled the feather on his hip. She just strengthened it with a little magic when it reached her hand, and it vibrated as it was new.  
She charged the blow, using all the energy she had, and threw it to the head of the giant.  
She did not realize she did a perfect throw with her left hand and even the pain of her wound weakened. She felt only relief when she saw she had hit the forehead of the giant.  
A red stream came down, staining the severe traits of his face. Nothing else moved, only that liquid and viscous trail. Suddenly his body started to sway, the corruption receded, and the weapon disappeared in a cloud of black smoke.  
She held her breath until his body fell, shaking the ground. Air came in a second inside her lungs, and she tried to fill them eagerly. But shortly after her breath became irregular because of a growing euphoria; she could not believe she defeated a colossus like that.  
She was a fragile girl and was at the same level as her heroes.  
She remembered she was not alone and turned to Ahri, but she saw the adept that had attacked her before. He was still up.  
She could not distinguish his figure; he looked like a black flicker with a blurred outline.  
But his sword did not reach her; her partner attacked and pushed him on the ground with her body. He tried to fight back, but his forces suddenly succumbed, draining and leaving only his dead body.  
She stood up and put a hand on her wound before she reached her; she was so happy to see Ahri alive that she almost did not felt the pain. She noticed some bruises on her, nothing too serious, but she remembered she had hit the altar with her body.  
« Ahri, how... »  
She could not end the sentence; hearing Ahri sobbing stopped her words. She feared that something terrible happened to her, that she used all of her energies for that last attack.  
She crouched and put a hand on her shoulder, trying to make her turn. She was worried, she could not deny that. She absolutely had to be sure she was all right.  
Ahri turned and moved her hand away from her face. Her eyes were filled with tears, and they began to line her dusty cheeks. It did not seem she was going to die, and she could not understand her reaction. What had started that soft cry?  
« I have sworn I would have never done it again. I meant to keep my self-control but... but he was... he almost and... » Ahri babbled before she hid her face again.  
She was confused. She seemed to regret killing that man, but before she had already eliminated another adept with no hesitation.  
But her condition made her suffer, and she could not bear to see her wearing out in her pain alone. She grabbed her head and put it on her chest, hoping that mere gesture could console her.  
Ahri did not move. She stayed there, sobbing under her grip.  
« Please, can we destroy that gem and leave? » she whispered in the end.  
She nodded, knowing that was the best thing to do.


	35. Chapter 34 Part 1

After they had cast out darkness, green vines came out from the ground. They covered the blank walls, blossoming into bright pink flowers.  
A spring had flowed from the center of the altar, raising until the pit and creating a floating lake. The waterfall had come back and given back life to the pool in front of the cave.  
Small creatures had gone out from their underground hiding places. Birds with long tails had entered the cave and landed on the green vines, while the fishes had regained strength.  
It was a beautiful sight; nature had come back to life, along with her tired body. She had saved a magical and sacred place and was able to defeat her enemies.  
Everything would have been perfect. She would have contemplated that rebirth with joy and pride if the mood of Ahri had not worried her.  
She had been unmoved by everything. She had tried to show her what they had done, but her only response was a nod and a fake smile.  
She had not opened her mouth for all day, and they had walked side by side without saying a word. Ahri had also dressed her wound in silence, using a ripped sleeve for wrap the mixture of herbs.  
She wanted to ask her what had happened in the cave, why she had burst into tears after the fight, but she was afraid. She did not want to hurt her and to interfere with questions that probably did not concern her. Ahri was helping her, and she had proved to be a good ally, but she was not sure she could get too closer.  
She had spoken about her tribe only to dissuade the Vastaya to follow her; otherwise, she would have made that confession only to a person worthy of all her trust. She knew the past could be sorrowful, and she knew that not everybody could share that pain with strangers.  
So she had stayed in silence, hoping to see a smile on Ahri's face or, at least, to hear her voice.  
Nothing happened until they had camped under a projecting rock, enough largo to shelter them from a possible night shower. The Vastaya had nodded to ask her to settle down there, and she had accepted.  
After, there was only silence again, even when they had eaten their poor meal. It was strange to not talk about strategy and to not speculate about their next battleground or trails. She could only swallow mouthfuls with a bitter aftertaste; now she feared she had made Ahri ended up in that mood.  
She had killed that adept to rescue her, and to rescue her she was hit by the giant. The Vastaya had reason to be hungry at her. She had torn her away from her peaceful life inside a cave sheltered by the forest.  
« I know where we have to go. »  
Cold and inexpressive words, but they still were a signal of life.  
That sound got her attention and raised her face. Ahri was tightened in her cape as if she was cold.  
It seemed she wanted to pursue the mission. She was not angry at her, or she would back out. So, why she looked so sad and glum?  
« They had conquered a temple in the northern mountains. I know those lands, I am sure they are there. »  
Her voice trembled when she said those words. She had kept them all day, unsure of revealing them or not.  
She had to be careful, or Ahri could fall back into silence, that silence that hurt her as tiny pins.  
« Perfect. I take the map so that we could think about a path. »  
She took the bag but, when she tried to open it, Ahri grabbed it.  
She looked at her puzzled and worried. Something was wrong, and she hoped the Vastaya would tell her what; she did not want to wait in agony.  
« Xayah, we have to talk about this mission. »  
She felt a blade pushing into her flesh, plunging more in-depth than the real wound. Her fears came back, that could be the prelude to a farewell.  
And she found herself not ready to leave her.  
« Today we were lucky but... that was a minimal part of their forces. »  
« Are you telling me to give up? » she asked, fearing a negative response.  
« No, absolutely not. The safety of your tribe is at stake, but... I think we are too weak. »  
She felt relieved. All her fears went away; she was just worried all the time.  
Her words made sense, but, thinking about it, she did not understand why she had not said that earlier. One the way, they could have found Vastayas willing to join their cause, mainly if they had losses too.  
Maybe the fight had scared Ahri? She felt the same after the second time inside the Temple of Whispers. And at that moment, she was sure that if she had to go back inside that place, she would have never done that alone.  
But that fight was easier than escaping the priests.  
« Do you think that in this temple in the mountains there will be more of them? »  
Ahri did not answer and started to bit her lips. But she guessed what she wanted to say.  
« All right, we will find some allies. We can start with the tribes that knew my father. A lot of people respected him. »  
« How do you do that? »  
A harsh question, maybe too much. She fell silent and waited for the river to overrun the dams before it would pour on her.  
« How can you be so positive if you do not even know who are you fighting? Those are madman, and they do not fave the slightest fear. They let darkness infect them without thinking about the consequences, following the words of a fool that only wants power. They are dangerous Xayah, and we can not pick up random people without knowing what they are capable of. »  
She did not like those words, not for their harshness, but because of their meaning. It did not make sense that she had helped her until that moment without blinking an eye and, now, she felt guilty. She was hit hard, but it was not that that closed the square.  
« You also do not know what they can do. We have decided to be careful because... »  
She had another question, considering what she had just said to her. Ahri had added an element that it had never shown before. She had never mentioned it.  
« Hold on. You have never spoken about their chief. You have told me you did not know... the details. »  
Ahri was still biting her lip and lowered her head without giving her an answer.  
« You know them... you know them, and you have never mentioned them. »  
She was not only disappointed but also embittered. It did not make sense that she kept them for her; Ahri was not so stupid, she knew they were essential.  
« Is not that you know where my tribe is or where their chief is hiding? »  
She demanded an explanation; Ahri could not going on avoiding her eyes. She would have it at all costs. Her stubbornness would not draw her away from her tribe.  
But her silence was worse than a direct confession. She had never thought that the lack of sounds could hurt as a blizzard on her face.  
« No, you have not... »  
« I will never tell you where their chief is. You will rush there and try to kill him, being killed in your turn. »  
Ahri finally raised her face, and she shivered when she saw the seriousness in her eyes. But she would not be intimidated, not when the rage was rising inside her.  
« And you will not do that if your tribe is in danger? Will you not do everything to save them? »  
« Yes, I will, but I will not do that with suicidal actions. You will not even get close to him; his strongest men will kill you before. »  
She remembered how much she had risked inside the Temple of Whispers and swallowed the bitter pill; she was right on that.  
« So could you finally enlighten me about what you know, so I will understand how we should move. Maybe you could also add other contaminated places because it seems you also know them! »  
She had vented. She had told Ahri what she was thinking, and she felt relieved. She hoped she would give her also some explanations about her behaviour, or during the next trials, she would be the one remaining silent.  
« If you promise me you will not kill the youngest adepts. »  
She looked at her, incredulous; she would have expected everything, but at that moment, she was baffled.  
« Are... are you kidding, right? We have to kill them. They are destroying our land and will keep doing it if we let them live. »  
« The youngest are war orphans that have accepted to join them for desperation. They had nothing, and now they have to follow the orders of a tyrant to not lose their lives. They do not deserve to die like the others. »  
She stood up and turned their back at Ahri. She could not believe that her empathy toward humans was that deep. She could not hesitate in front of the enemies that threatened the life force of Vastayas.  
« Do you really think that between them there is some... redeemable? » she asked, turning.  
Ahri hesitated. She had to take a deep breathe and stand up before she answered.  
« I do not think... I do not know. »  
Her voice trembled; it was another confession she had paid dearly.  
« I can absorb the life force and the memories of the persons. What I have told you, I have seen it through the memories of the man I have killed in the cave. »


	36. Chapter 34 Part 2

She had said that in a whisper as if she feared the nature around her could hear her confession. Light words that became long shivers when she remembered where she had heard of that power. Hwai had told her about a creature like that, living in the forest around the Temple of Whispers. The same forest where Ahri lived.  
The legend had become a reality; it was standing in front of her.  
« Xayah, please, I will never hurt you. I have tried to be satisfied with small doses taken from humans. I feared that if I stayed in close contact with you, I would be tempted to absorb the energy of the Vastaya for the first time. »  
« Hold on... are you attracted only by the energy of humans? »  
Ahri seemed surprised by that question. Maybe she feared she would be scared of her.  
« I think... yes. »  
It made sense, of course. She had to descend from an ancient lineage, born at the dawn of their people, in a time when humans do not walk on the pristine land of Ionia. When they came, they had to develop a skill to pull them away and kill them, so that they could keep their home.  
Maybe her theory was impregnated with the legends of her childhood, and maybe she was fantasizing too much. But something was telling her that gift helped them to oppose to those being that were taking pieces by pieces their lands.  
« So why do not you want to use it against our enemies? »  
« Because I am afraid that if I use this power again, then I will not stop... and I do not want to kill innocents anymore. I have interrupted so many lives only to live their memories. And, on second thought, » Ahri stopped, putting a hand on her wet eyes, « If I think about what I have taken from them because of my selfishness... I only feel like a monster. »  
« No, you are not a monster, » she replied, approaching.  
She had understood her reaction when she had drained the lifeforce and the memories from the adept.  
« You have a gift you... you could help all Vastayas to free these lands and give them back their ancient magic. »  
« So you really want me to use it against humans. Have you heard what I have just said? »  
She looked at Ahri puzzled: why did she seem so angry? She was trying to make her realize how much important she was, and the Vastaya still castled in her positions.  
« But you have seen what they can do, how they are threatening all of us Vastayas. »  
« And how they defend their loved ones, how they could do heroic acts and how they love, like all Vastayas. »  
She took a step back, hoping that she had not heard those words. She tolerated her empathy, in part, she admired her ability to negotiate with them, but she could not accept she placed them on the same level of Vastayas.  
« They are destroying our lands, and you still defend them? Maybe Living on their memories had clouded your judgment? »  
Those words came spontaneously out of her mouth, and she did nothing to stop them. She hoped Ahri would change her mind. She wanted her to understand her mistakes because she did not want to face the consequences.  
« No, I do not want to say... listen, please. I know that you may have met some terrible person in your way. I know how greed makes men do atrocious actions... »  
« And so?! »  
She held a sob. Rage was becoming something different, something more bitter and painful.  
Her eyes pinched, and her stomach was heavy as a rock, two opposite movements that could lead to the worse reaction.  
« There are also good persons between them! Think about if they are so terrible, why do the other Lhotlan tribes search contacts with them? »  
« What are you trying to insinuate? »  
« That you should try to exit the obtuseness of the isolation imposed by your tribe and look around. »  
She did not have to say those words; she had paid similar ideas at her own expenses, and after she had regretted to not listen to her father's advice. Ahri could be older, but she was too naive and drunk with the human memories she had absorbed.  
« I did it! Once I have also believed that I could trust humans, and you know what have I gained in return? Stones and attempted captures. Not once they have tried to accept me, not once they have not taken advantage of me! And they treat themselves in the same way, killing their own brothers and stepping on their people. Do you really want to side with those people? »  
She wanted to say those words for a while. She wanted to clarify with Ahri, but she had thought about a normal conversation, not that. She had believed that theirs was only a kinship, a bond born by survival needs, but actually, it was something deeper, something deeper and more dangerous.  
« I am not telling that the worst human should not be punished... »  
« But the adepts of who is threatening Ionia yes! You are even ready to spare them! »  
Tears started to cloud her eyes, and she tried to hold them, taking deep breaths.  
Ahri did not answer to her. The disappointment was painted on her face, and she could not believe that. Was she really blaming her for her ideas? Why could she not see what she had seen?  
« If one of them attacked a Vastaya, would you hesitate in stopping them? » she asked, hoping that Ahri was still a reasonable person.  
« No, in that case, no. »  
« And if one of them attacked a human? »  
« No! How could you think that I am so cruel? »  
« And if you had to choose between the child that you have helped in the forest and me? »  
Ahri did not answer, and she looked at her dismayed while the first sobs shook her body.  
« No, no... I will never do somethi... »  
« And so why you did not answer immediately? »  
The Vastaya stayed silent again.  
« Because you would hesitate in a situation like that! You would endanger someone of your people to save someone that could kill you in the future! I... »  
She took a deep breath, trying to say the following words.  
« I can not work with someone that could backstab me. »  
Even if she was despising Ahri, even if she was shocked by her words, her expression was painful. She hurt her deliberately, and in doing so, she also hurt herself. She was a fool and became attached.  
« How can you say something like that after all I have done for you?! »  
It was her turn to be hit by her words, sadly true. She was in debt with her, she had helped her a lot, and she could not forget that. But she could not tolerate she could betray her people to save some humans.  
« I will always be in debt with you, and I will always remember what you have done for me but... I can not believe you could go against your people or your tribe. »  
« And what do you know about my tribe? » Ahri asked in a hiss.  
« I know that they could be disappointed by your behaviour. So or you decide to do a soul searching or... I can not trust you. »  
She wiped away her tears with a sleeve, ready to leave everything behind.  
« Xayah, please, we can talk about that. You can not continue alone only because of this. »  
She heard Ahri approaching and the tremble in her voice. All the pain she was causing to her was piercing more and more her flesh as a sharpen knife, but she had to endure. She could not overshadow her people. She could not ally with someone so close to humans.  
« Better alone than with a traitor. »  
The last words were the most difficult to say because she knew their weight. She did not have another choice; Ahri had to understand her mistakes.  
She did not turn even once. She started to run into the maples, trying to distance Ahri.  
She was wrong in finding some company, and she was wrong in accepting it so quickly. She was suffering again, as when she had lost her tribe. That stabbing pain in her chest was choking her and tears were flowing as a swollen river once more.  
And it would be the last time. Step by step, she swore she would continue alone, as she had done before. She would have never sold her trust so quickly again, that was a mistake she had learnt to not make.


End file.
